When a story is breaking, it means that something new and urgent is happening. Often it’s a big event, like a shooting or a fire. It’s also a time when lots of media outlets are trying to get the story first, and there’s a lot of pressure to get it right.
Breaking news stories are often accompanied by a special graphic or alert crawl, interrupting regular programming. Before 24-hour news channels became common, a network would alert its affiliates and then pause its regular broadcast to allow them to switch over to the breaking news feed. This is called a cut-in. Some networks now use “Newsflash” or “Special report” tickers for breaking news events during regularly scheduled programming, lessening the need for cut-ins.
Eyewitness accounts are crucial in breaking news, but they’re not always reliable. In the chaos that surrounds an event, it’s easy for someone to misreport what they see. For example, in the aftermath of Gabrielle Giffords’ shooting, an eyewitness said she saw the congresswoman slumped over and bleeding. Journalists can’t rely on eyewitness accounts unless they are confirmed by authorities. Speculation about what’s going on is also dangerous. As NPR learned with its erroneous reporting about Giffords, it’s best not to make assumptions, especially when they’re based on faulty information from sources. Those mistakes can cost lives. NPR reporters have a responsibility to get the facts.
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