What does "Breaking News" mean to you?

[ClusterFreak]

Apparently CNN thinks "breaking news" breaks for something like four or five hours, maybe longer. Notice how they also will break a story, with their red graphics and SFX, cover it for five or ten minutes, take a commercial break, and then come out of the commercial flashing the "breaking news" logo yet again? Rinse and repeat. How delightfully manipulative.

[porphyrian]

1. Riding it until it stops bucking.

Yeehaw!

[havocmom]

2. On CNN, Breaking News seems to set their auto-pilot.

In my world, journalism means a bit more.

[WI_DEM]

3. I'm old enough to remember when the networks would break into

a soap opera or some tv program with a "CBS News Special Report" or NBC or ABC, ect--and it was usually something really big--not like some of these cable channels today, which consider a car chase in LA a "breaking story".

[Double T]

4. NEW NEWS that is right here, right NOW!!!!!!

And it doesn't last for 5 days later.......

[Oreo]

5. I used to think it was news big enough to break into regular programming

Cable news and now local news has changed it into any news that's new no matter how minor it is.
They're taking it way too literally. I can't stand the alertist "journalism" that all the news hsows are taking on now. Twin Cities local news goes WAY overboard with this.

[donco6]

6. "Breaking" means it's big until the next story arrives. eom

[Beelzebud]

7. It means they have found the Distraction of the Day.

[ClusterFreak]

10. Bingo!

[tridim]

8. They also play a version of the "breaking news" jingle for

"in the news" or something similar.. It's just to get you to look at the screen. Kind of like when they ring a doorbell in commercials.

Absolutely manipulative, but honestly what did you expect from a typically crappy "news" channel like CNN?

[ClusterFreak]

12. It is just to get you to look at the screen, you're right. n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

9. I remember when "CNN Breaking News" used to mean something

I would get excited when I hear that voice come on saying "This is CNN Breaking News" and then that little ditty they'd play. Now it's no big deal because they do it too often. Although I thought they go with "Just In" for everyday news breaks.

[johnfunk]

11. Breaking News? Well, somebody'd better FIX it, don'tchathink?

Makes sense to me...

And speaking of breaking news...

Saudi Prince Calls Murdoch And Changes Fox News

During last month’s street riots in France, Fox News ran a banner during a news segment, reading: “Muslim riots.” Billionaire Saudi Prince al-Walid bin Talal, who owns 5.5% of Fox News, was unhappy with the tagline:

>>> I picked up the phone and called Murdoch… (and told him)
>>> these are not Muslim riots, these are riots out of poverty.
>>> Within 30 minutes, the title was changed from Muslim riots
>>> to civil riots.

Talal gained notoriety after 9/11 when he blamed U.S. policies for the terrorist attacks.

I like this great "asnide" from the comments:

In a swipe at FOX News’s chairman and propaganda minister, my pal http://www.apj.us">Gene Gaudette (who was talking about this nasty little story earlier today) quipped that “FOX News should change its name to ‘Ailes Jazeera!’”

[Hardrada]

13. Exactly. some distracting BS they've finally cobbled together

enough to flash it on the screen!

[mcscajun]

14. I'm old enough to recall when "Special Report" on the screen

or on the radio gave you the chills...something big (and usually awful, scary, or important) was about to be related.

"Breaking News" means (to me anyway) something we're Just learning about here at Channel Whatever, and we're going to tell you as it happens.

It also means that since, in this Brave New World of 24/7 all-news-gossip-entertainment-disaster-tragedy-distraction-of-the-week TV, I can't believe ANYthing I see or hear right off, 'cause of the "newsperson's" rush to be first with the details, I have to reserve all judgment for at least three days after "Breaking News" first "breaks", until more of the FACTS are in.