Breaking news is a developing story that captures the audience’s attention due to its timeliness and importance. It is often a highly dramatic event, such as a fire, a plane crash or a shooting. The urgency and immediacy of breaking news requires journalists to act quickly, often relying on eyewitness accounts and official statements. It also often means interrupting regular programming to deliver important updates.
Social media plays a crucial role in breaking news stories, allowing people to share information directly from the scene and spread information before it can be verified by traditional outlets. In this way, breaking news can be disseminated more rapidly and widely than ever before. This can create ethical challenges for journalists, who must balance the need to report breaking news with their responsibility to be accurate and avoid sensationalism.
It is particularly important for journalists to verify the accuracy of breaking news reports, as unverified information can spread quickly and lead to inaccurate or even harmful rumors. Journalists should also be wary of using names of injured or killed people before loved ones have been notified, as this can cause unnecessary alarm and distress.
During a breaking news story, RTDNA recommends that stations prepare a plan for how they will cover the event. This should include the process for identifying and vetting sources, as well as how they will communicate with their audiences. It is also important to understand how breaking news is determined in your organization so that the team can be prepared to react appropriately when an emergency situation arises.