What exactly qualifies as breaking news, in your opinion?

[journalist3072]

I'm really disturbed by what the MSM seems to think qualifies as breaking news.

I just went to MSNBC's website, and they have the following breaking news banner: McCain: "I know how to reach across the aisle."

Why on earth is a politician claiming to know how to be bipartisan, breaking news?

Being bipartisan is the talking point for many politicans today. So for another one to say they know how to reach across the aisle, is NOT breaking news.

[Berry Cool]

1. You have to understand what their definition of "breaking news" is.

It is: "Anything somebody just said."

That's it.

[waiting for hope]

2. Missing Blond chick in the Keys and

nobody knows who her father is and there may be Drugs involved!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[splat]

3. When my pipes burst

It's in the eye of the beholder, of course.

[Connie_Corleone]

4. Breaking News: East Coast Goes Suddenly Dark at 9pm ET.

[Oeditpus Rex]

5. You pose a rhetorical question

but I'll answer it anyway:

•"Breaking" news is that which has happened very recently — with electronic media, during the current news cycle.

•"Breaking" news is that for which information is still being gathered.

•"News" is that information which affects a great number of people, or greatly affects a number of people, within the disseminator's reach.

Anything said by anyone in tonight's debate qualifies under none of these — unless it was "I am now going to take this handgun, put its muzzle to my head and pull the trigger," and then they did it.

[journalist3072]

6. But what I am trying to discern from my fellow DUers

Is what types of news events or items you, as a citizen who reads and watches the news, considers as "breaking news."

For example, I've seen many of the major networks send breaking news email alerts if an athelete breaks a record. And I just don't think an athlete breaking a record is worthy of a breaking news email alert.

So I'm trying to discern from you what types of events do you think necessitate breaking news banners or alerts?

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. Okay

From the body of your post, I got the impression that you didn't really want answers to its heading. Sorry to be so presumptious.

I'd say an athlete breaking a record is breaking news (no pun intended) — to those who care. I'd further surmise that they're the ones who sign up for such e-mail alerts.

BTW — in the interests of full disclosure, I'm not just a "citizen" in this context; I used to be a newspaper editor. So I've got some pretty strong opinions on the subject of journalism.

[journalist3072]

9. This is why my conversation with you on this is right up my alley

I'm really glad we are having this conversation. You used to be a newspaper editor. I have a bachelor's degree in mass media arts/print journalism. And so like you, I've got very strong opinions on the issue of journalism.

What's really troubling me, is what I see as the dumbing down of the news media. There just doesn't seem to be any critical thinking within much of the news media now.

And I just think there should be strict standards on what qualifies as news, and even more specifically, what qualifies as breaking news.

I think MSNBC just chose the wrong format to cover the debate tonight. They used their Breaking News banner to provide updates about the debate. I think their approach should have been different. They should have had one of their reporters blogging live from the debate, and they could have provided updates that way, instead of those constant breaking news banners that contained quotes from the candidates tonight.

[Oeditpus Rex]

11. News — particularly in the electronic media

became little more than a marketing tool some 20 years ago. The network heads' mantra goes something like this:

This news must be reported in this fashion to cater to this demographic so it'll buy this stuff. And, since the news itself is all the same because we're all terrified of doing something that's actually different — like, presenting real news — we need this anchor to present the news in this way to keep pace in the ratings.

Or, see Ned Beatty's masterful chewing-out of Peter Finch in "Network."

There are standards. The enforcement of them has just gotten conveniently lax.

And, critical thinking? Costs too much.

[splat]

13. This is all hard for old media orgs

People think there's a bustling news operation going at night. There's not. There's the night producer, and some of the newspaper staff is finishing up.

The night guy, whose core job is to copy the paper to the Web, sometimes has to step in and update the homepage with news. It's hard to switch from hand-coding to critical thinking. On the Web, every staffer is like the AP stringer now, scrambling to get something out there.

On the definition of breaking news: Newsrooms don't have programmers, so most Web staffs have lousy tools. Breaking news is the only tool to publish a news update at night (the editor's handoff requested that), so they use that tool. Somebody a long time ago put a "Breaking news" graphic on that, and they're stuck with it for thunderstorms and the second coming.

Layoffs, buyouts, and this constant battle with poor and often broken tools have taken their toll. They can't send record-breaking news only to sports fans, either.

[dave_p]

10. To me if it's worth an alert...

... it has to leave my world different tomorrow to what it was today. Sporting events and celebrity publicity stunts don't do that, they're entertainment. They're irrelevant to the future.

I'd want to hear about major political developments (war, crisis, major treaty/negotiations or something that may affect key legislation or the leadership of a country, including elections), dramatic economic news, natural disasters, scientific breakthroughts and important news about population and health. And I'd want it from everywhere, irrespective of country.

[malaise]

8. Breaking News has been so completely broken by MSM

that should there be a real breaking news story most people will not be paying attention.

[frogcycle]

12. The late Bob Collins of WGN Radio used to say

"When news breaks out, so do we!"

I have not been able to take "breaking news" seriously ever since.

It is generally just some windbag who wants air time, breaking wind.

[AZBlue]

14. Yeah, I noticed the same thing lately on msnbc.com. If someone breaks a nail, it's breaking news!

AHHAHAHAHA....get it?

Sorry...that just came out unintentionally. But, I am serious when I say that msnbc.com has to lay off the breaking news crap and get real!