In today's Washington Post, Paul Farhi asks a question I've wondered: Why is it that every single story you hear about on cable is "developing," "breaking," or a "news alert?" Whatever happened to the regular TV news report?
This just in! There's no more news on TV, at least not on the cable news networks. Plain old news apparently just isn't good enough anymore, so TV news stories have been getting new and improved names.
President Bush's latest news conference? CNN labels it a "Developing Story." A car bombing in Baghdad? The banner on MSNBC reads, "Breaking News." A blown transformer in New York City? Fox News Channel is on it, with a graphic that announces, "Very Latest."
Sometimes a story is a "News Alert." Sometimes it's a "Bulletin." And sometimes the banner reads, "New Developments" (although if there are new developments in a "Developing Story," shouldn't it really say "Developing Developing Story"?).
The dizzying world of news labels raises many questions. Is it possible for a "Developing Story" to become "Developed," like a Polaroid picture or a post-adolescent woman? Does "Breaking News" ever become "Broken" (and if so, can it be "fixed")?
And can a "Developing Story" ever morph into a "Breaking Story" and vice versa? Or are they like oil and water, matter and antimatter, Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger?
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It's the marketeers.
July 25, 2007 - 12:46 ET by c5thenThey have invaded every segment of society. Everything has to be marketed to the public. Nothing can ever be left "on it's own" without a label or slogan. Thus everything in a store is "new and improved" or "X% More, Free!", etc. etc.
The result is that nothing is New or free anymore. "Breaking News" and "News Alert" have been so over used that they mean little other than "this story as opposed to the next segment which will be labeled the same".
Many moons ago, I was designing a lighting system for a jewlery store expansion (use to work in the building industry). The owner kept adding different cabinets that he wanted to be highlighted with spot lights. I kept arguing for only a few, but he was adamant and he was writting the check. The end result was that every jewelry cabinet in the store was highlited with spots, which of course meant that none were highlighted. The store simply had an increadibly high lumen count and made you feel as if you wanted to put your sunglasses on.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic
DEVELOPING STORY: I get my
July 25, 2007 - 13:12 ET by jwm45DEVELOPING STORY: I get my news from the internet and the radio. Modern TV news production has become too ridiculous to watch
You have to come up with
July 25, 2007 - 13:16 ET by balboaYou have to come up with new ways to break through the clutter of messages bombarding people every day. "Breaking News" is much more apt to garner attention, etc.
True
July 25, 2007 - 13:17 ET by Matthew Sheffieldbut after a while the anchor touting breaking news starts to seem awfully similar to the boy who cried wolf.
Yup. Suddenly everything's
July 25, 2007 - 13:24 ET by balboaYup. Suddenly everything's "breaking news," and it's not eye- or ear-catching anymore.
Which begs the question of what phrases will they come up with next, such as "Life or Death News Flash," "Don't Miss This or You're Dead Update,"...
Freshness Labels
July 25, 2007 - 13:40 ET by mytwocentsHow about "Now With Lemon!"? Just about as useful.
Maybe the phrase "And now
July 25, 2007 - 15:14 ET by nixonMaybe the phrase "And now for something comepletely different " would work .
Late Breaking Story!
July 25, 2007 - 13:50 ET by rob6677This just in, we have been notified that Linday Lohan is taking a nap... A tragic developement has just been brought to our attention, Paris Hilton was arrested again and this time we don't even know why! Next we'll have a late breaking story in which Al Gore informs us we must all stop breathing because it is warming the rings of saturn. Urgent!...we have found new evidence that President Bush is in fact the source of all evil. Wait... I'm getting early reports of what color shoes Rosie was wearing yesterday. In a shocking discovery today, Abe Vigoda is still alive!
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana!" Groucho
Personally I miss the old
July 25, 2007 - 15:36 ET by NetizenCainPersonally I miss the old days of CNN's Headline News with folks like Lynne Russell and Bob Losure. You woke-up and within 30 minutes you received the news, in priority, without fluff. Wrap it up with a little Jeannie Moos and you were ready to go. There was no hand-gesture analysis, no failed Air Forced Major providing his theories, and stupid lawyers chiming in. Just news. I don't always need in-depth coverage; just tell me some basic facts and get on with it. If I'm interested I'll take the next step. But when FOX does a BREAKING NEWS for Paris Hilton or Anna-Nicole what then is the value of the alert. Go cry wolf elsewhere.
(While looking up the old Headline News I noticed that there was once a time when their logo was wrapped in Red, White & Blue. Guess those days are gone too.
Yeah that takes me back to
July 25, 2007 - 16:01 ET by rob6677Yeah that takes me back to "A time when newsmen reined supreme" Anchorman - The Legend of Ron Burgundy
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana!" Groucho
News is 'managed', what
July 25, 2007 - 15:39 ET by JDWNews is 'managed', what could be breaking about the majority of it?
JDW
News media: Scoreboard for terrorists
THIS JUST IN
July 25, 2007 - 15:46 ET by ts88THIS JUST IN: THE LEFT LIBS SUCK
The twenty four hour news
July 25, 2007 - 17:58 ET by Chris NormanThe twenty four hour news channels, including Fox News, make everything breathless. How many times did Fox loop the tape of the car burning at Glasgow Airport while they said the same thing over and over again until it meant absolutely nothing? Despite having a soft spot for their more balanced approach to the news, I have a hard time watching Fox News these days. They have perhaps ten to fifteen stories that they rotate over and over again until you want to scream...
The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on.
- Arabian Proverb
}}}----> Fresh News
July 26, 2007 - 04:35 ET by Cool ArrowI'm seriously tired of all the local news that is pushed off as National.
This may sound cold, but a Black Police officer who kills his White, pregnant exwife may be sordid and sensational, but hardly National.
Paris Hilton's term in local jail may be locally newsworthy, but it is nothing more than Entertainment news to the rest of us.
FOX and CNN need to rethink their charters and spin off Entertainment/gossip shows rather than morphing the National News outlets into Entertainment.