It's official!! The term "Breaking News" now means nothing!!

[ClusterFreak]

Yes kids, it's true! Whereas in the past this term used to signify that an urgently relevant event of some kind had just occurred, it has now become the title of a cable news program. In fact "Breaking News" is now a show on CNN. Kind of like the C.S.I. franchise (New York, Miami, and so forth), it's become the "Breaking News" franchise. As in "Breaking News: Mideast Crisis Elevation, American Morning Edition". Some of it's offspring include "Live From Edition", "Situation Room Edition", "Lou Dobbs Edition", "Paula Zahn Edition"...well, I think you get the idea. "Breaking News" is now a TV show itself. And don't forget the "let's-scare-the-bejesus-out-of-our-viewers-version": Mideast Crisis: On The Brink of War?" Yep, asking the question just like Faux News likes to do. "Breaking News" no longer means what it used to mean: some kind of important shit has happened. It's now strictly an attention-grab. A "make-the-channel-surfers-stop-on-CNN-grab". It means nothing. Nothing to see here folks, let's keep it moving. Isreal and Lebanon got into it today, militarily. That, in and of itself, is worth a "Breaking News", for what...an hour, two, or so...to get the word out to people that some serious shit had just ramped up in the Middle East?! But no, instead "Breaking News" is exploited as a cynical attention-grabbing headline, which runs for 12 plus hours and counting.

CNN, the most trusted name in news.

[swag]

1. Doesn't this post belong in Latest Breaking News?

[ClusterFreak]

3. I never thought of that....

;-)

[Kutjara]

2. Wait for the inevitable inflation of language.

We'll start to see "Super Extra Late Breaking News" and "Ultra Late Breaking As It Happens News" and "No Later Breaking News Than This" as each network competes to convince their baffled viewers that their network is the real deal with the absolute freshest, hottest, moistest, straight from the oven news.

News is entertainment and entertainment is just a hook for advertising, so it's no surprise that the news networks are using the tricks of the huckster to get people to buy their stale snakeoil.

[ClusterFreak]

5. Well said!

:thumbsup:

[WCGreen]

11. Super Size your news....

C N N The best packaged news in the business....

[Jacobin]

17. New And Improved!!

Its like reading the label on a damned bottle of dish detergent, watching the NationalEnquirer News on AMerican TV, which is why I stopped

[Fleshdancer]

4. It can't break when it's already broken n/t

[peace13]

6. Breaking Wind is more like it!

[Old and In the Way]

7. That can't report it until they know how to spin it.

Don't worry, once Karl figures it out, they will be approved to start telling us what happened.

[L A Woman]

8. ha - i get those CNN Breaking News e-mails...

they are hilarious. I get them AGES after the news has broken and sometimes they actually say things like, BREAKING NEWS: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes might have silent birth.

Idiots Extraordinaire.

oh - and I tried to unsubscribe but it wouldn't let me. :-)

[wain]

9. Nothing is news anymore

It's dressed up as news, but it's really presented as entertainment. Make it easy to digest, not requiring too much thought on the part of the viewer. And the news reader now becomes an entertainer, part of the show.

Stir well and repeat ad nauseam.

x(

[W_HAMILTON]

10. Amen

I'm glad someone brought this up. It's been something that's been going on for months, too. I remember when BREAKING NEWS meant, uh, our country has been attacked. BREAKING NEWS: we begin to bomb Iraq.

It's not BREAKING NEWS: Barbaro might die.

I guess it goes back to the fact that news is more for entertainment now, and not real news. But definitely, using their big BREAKING NEWS video and music for trivial news stories has been getting on my nerves for awhile now. I'm surprised it's take this long for someone to complain about it :)

[ClusterFreak]

12. Yeah, it's been gestating in my gut for some time.

Just took till now to give birth.

[nosillies]

13. It's even worse on the local level!!!

Our local news stations will do anything to get you to watch. BREAKING NEWS: Area students receive report cards today. BREAKING NEWS: Weatherman's 3 year old finally doodies in the potty.

[lonestarnot]

14. Wonder what they are going to say when there is breaking

news for real? Really really breaking news?

[Swede]

15. This just in!

A news flash just landed on my desk.

[glarius]

16. Breaking News morphs into "Developing Story"!

The thing is they haven't created an "End of story" yet....It just goes on and on and on and on and on....................................

[johnfunk]

18. CNN is breaking the news and not fixing it!

Same for MSGOP. FAUX... fuhgedaboudit...