When the newest information you have is four hours old, you first shared it three hours ago, and/or no new information is forthcoming, it might not be "breaking news" any more even though it still merits inclusion in the first portion of each segment. So what's with the flashy graphic I see over and over?
You keep sending that kid out to the street with a stack of papers, yelling "Extra! Extra! Read the very latest" and the ink's not even wet, pretty soon nobody will think you ever have any wet-ink news to offer, just the same old stuff, reheated and passed off as hot off the press. That's not a good place to be.
"It's new to you" won't pass muster here. Breaking news means the dust is still settling and the scene is still being worked. If all you've got is a dark field behind a reporter who doesn't know anything she didn't know when she arrived on the scene, it's not breaking, it's broken. You want to break some news? Dig up some newer news to break!
Or keep lying loudly to the viewers about how new your news is. It's not like they'll go plug the basics into a search engine to find a fresher angle, right? ....Er, won't they?
I think you were right when you said "it's not breaking, it's broken."
ReplyDeleteThat pretty much sums up the state of media in America today. Broken.
It's a real shame that you're responsible for the quality of the signal, not the quality of the content.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteYour job has parallels with those that are responsible for the operation of sewage treatment plants.
Do your job perfectly and it's likely no one will ever say thanks.
Screw it up just *once* and you'll be reminded of it for *decades* in the future...
:)