There has been a growing tendency for news sites to overplay the use of ‘breaking news’ and there’s been a growing number of criticisms of it.
I usually largely ignore them, but noticed on today which was hopelessly inappropriate.
Eyes rolled on Twitter:
That’s right, a pundit column by Bryce Edwards can hardly be called breaking news. Edwards had already announced it would be coming the day before:
Not only was the counterpart published bannered by the Herald today not breaking news, it wasn’t news at all. It was a compilation of political conjecture and lobbying.
1) A link to Newshub’s Lloyd Burr article “On the most important policy issues, Labour can give NZ First what it wants” – dated 5 October listing old bottom lines
2) One of Chris Trotters frequent wishful thinking spiels “Winston Peters wants a legacy of change” dated 9 October.
3) ‘Dear Winston’ – an open letter to the leader of NZ First’ – more lobbying by Trotter dated 10 October.
4) Finlay Macdonald argues “more than half the country” voted for change, and Peters could “play the role of elder statesman in a young, progressive government at a time when the need for economic, environmental and social reform has never been greater” – marked Opinion, dated 7 October.
And another 9 summaries of dated opinions and conjecture. None of it was news, and none of it was breaking.
Breaking news banners have become part of the clutter on news sites that, like advertising and the proliferation of click bait is usually avoided or ignored.
The Herald ‘breaking news’ banner is broken
Kitty Catkin
/ 13th October 2017Breaking News: Astronauts have landed on the moon.
Corky
/ 13th October 2017Some people don’t get fake news..astronauts didn’t land on the moon. The stated craft capacities that supposedly took men to the moon are at odds with what was needed for a moon landing, and a return to the orbiting mothercraft…unless unknown technology was used.
What has this to do with the article above: if you repeat bs enough the ignorant will probably believed you. Worse, you may begin to believe your own bs.
patupaiarehe
/ 13th October 2017I believed you Corky 😉
Corky
/ 14th October 2017Of course you don’t. But I believe in myself..and facts.
NOEL
/ 14th October 2017Yeah funny just like the outtakes here.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/moonhoax.asp
Fight4NZ
/ 13th October 2017Agree whole heartedly. Way , way too much “news” in all media formats is presenters talking amongst themselves, laughably called analysis. Total bs. Above looks a particularly bad example.
traveller
/ 13th October 2017It a little bit like the boy who cried wolf isn’t it.
NOEL
/ 14th October 2017Edwards should read bullet point five in this one.
NOEL
/ 14th October 2017Sorry add this https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-a-breaking-news-story-2073757