BREAKING NEWS: I’m writing a column for Barrett Sports Media on a Thursday.
Really? I write a column for BSM every Thursday. So, the answer is, nope. It just illustrates the point that EVERYTHING is presented to us as “breaking news” these days. The obvious gets the label, and even the mundane gets the “breaking news” treatment. Stations and networks are hoping the ‘shock’ value of the bold graphics and ominous music will reel you in to their story. Frankly, I’ve become desensitized to it all. News and sports.
I get to this conclusion thanks to the realistic thinking of new CNN boss Chris Licht. He was fed up with the network’s overuse of “breaking news” according to a memo to his staff. It seemingly had become proper practice to shock and awe viewers with the concept. Licht had enough. According to the memo obtained by Axios. “We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers,” Licht said. CNN is creating a new stylebook giving guidelines about when to use “breaking news” and when not to use it.
“You’ve already seen far less of the Breaking News banner across our programming,” Licht wrote, adding that the network is still tweaking the guidelines but will use the term only when “something BIG is happening.”
It’s sometimes used as a gimmick, designed so the listener/viewer would ‘hear it/see it first’ on that station. Ok, so, what if I’m not listening to that station, and I hear it first somewhere else? I don’t get the point. If your sports station has great reporters and great hosts that cultivate excellent relationships with players and teams, you are going to get news that others will not. It speaks to credibility. If I know that a station is constantly breaking news, that’s actually worthy of the descriptor, I’m going to gravitate there. I know that these folks are on top of stuff and not just throwing things against the wall to see what sticks.
Breaking news is by definition, “newly received information about an event that is currently occurring or developing.” Some networks play loose and fast with that meaning. Many times, “breaking news” is used by a news/sports organization when in fact the story they’re reporting on isn’t BREAKING. The news is old, but perhaps that entity didn’t report it yet. So, I guess it’s breaking to them. But it’s not to everyone else who has already seen/heard that news. It’s all hard to avoid in today’s 24-hour news/sports cycles. Breaking news for some organizations then comes down to ‘which story has the most interest and biggest impact right now’. That’s not the intention.
ESPN has this habit of using their breaking news graphic for the new AP Top 25 College Football or Basketball Polls being released. Huh? They come out at the same time every week, so why is this breaking? Why is it breaking when Mel Kiper Jr. releases his latest draft “Big Board” several months before the NFL Draft? Why is it breaking when a player that was injured in a game, is still injured and won’t play in the next game? A player that will be a free agent in three-years signs an extension in spring training and that’s breaking? Nope. Never. Uh uh. No way. Stop wasting my time and getting me all excited about some big news that’s about to come my way.
The judgement shown by producers in these cases is lazy. How out of touch are some entities? Take this Tweet from the Associated Press on New Year’s Day of 2016:
That tweet is real. The basis for it, is unreal. The constant use just cheapens when things are really breaking. Right now, for many it’s a tune-out from the station and from the mind.
Now, as I write this column, there was actually some breaking news worthy of the title. When Joe Maddon was fired by the Angels amid a 12-game losing streak, that’s big news. The details developed from an early morning report to the actual announcement from the team. This case fits the definition better than most these days.
When your network gets a scoop that is jumping every other outlet, it is breaking news. It’s not always a bad thing to put the graphic up, just don’t do it when it isn’t worthy. There seems to be a lack of news (or sports) judgement in many cases around the dial these days. I do understand that there are hierarchies at some networks that will insist on the graphic at all times. There are just so many times you can cry wolf before the impact is lost on your viewer/listener. It has to stop.
I remember growing up in the 80s when the news networks would break into programming for a “Special Report”. That grabbed attention. Whether it was about President Reagan being shot or the Space Shuttle launch and subsequent explosion, that graphic meant, stop what you’re doing, this is important. If it’s not worthy of breaking into regular programming, is it really breaking? I don’t think so.
There are so many better words or phrases that can be used for news that is coming in, continuing to materialize or being reported by just one entity. How about ‘NEW’? As in ‘new this hour, we’ve learned about a contract extension for player A.’ That works. Or ‘JUST IN’? How about news that still has some sketchy details, maybe, ‘DEVELOPING’? That kind of invites the viewer/listener to stay tuned for further developments. Simple right? In the cases where nobody else has the story, an oldie but a goodie, ‘EXCLUSIVE’ seems to fit the bill. Pretty self-explanatory.
All I’m saying is more news/sports judgement needs to be practiced here. I don’t think you are helping yourself or your network/station by falling on the crutch of breaking news. It’s too easy. It takes no thought. It’s time for sports to follow CNN’s lead. Examine the news, don’t rush to be first if you don’t have all the facts, and be better. Let others make that mistake. Then you can say, ‘they may break the news, but we fix it’. BREAKING NEWS: that line sounded good to me when I wrote it.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at Andy@Andy-Masur.com.
