The concept of breaking news should mean a state of emergency or an event of great importance. Early this September the news channel interrupted a few shows with a headline that said, Breaking News Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady Involved in Car Accident. I understand that Tom Brady is an important player of the New England Patriots, should this minor accident be considered breaking news? Many would agree that while it is important to cover the accident, it should not fall under breaking news. Our media is demonstrating an obsession with celebrities. If an event involves a celebrity the media is covering every possible angle of the story.
A recent event that should have been considered breaking news was the Mattapan murders on September 28, 2010. This night brought a new nightmare to the Mattapan community. The murder took the lives of two adults and one toddler. One male survived and left in critical condition. The bodies were left in the street without identification. Members in the Mattapan community are outraged at the type of crime, and the death of an innocent child. This event was covered in the news, but not considered breaking news. It was covered heavily the first day due to Mayor Menino presence. The next few days it was covered under certain non major news channels. The interesting question is, why not bring light to this coverage? If the event continues to be a topic of interest, someone might contribute important answers. This crime has changed the Mattapan community.
In regards to news coverage, is our media is becoming desensitized to human crime? Is it more fun to cover a car accident without any victims, simply because it included Tom Brady? The news is supposed to inform us of issues regardless of the event. Awareness to events allows us to understand what is occurring around us. As the times change our media is becoming a popularity contest of what sells. In order to have a better image of the news, coverage should be reconstructed. Maybe the news will attract more people when they start covering true breaking news.
You appear to have a fundamental misunderstanding as to the purpose of TV news, and the news media in general. It is not to inform the public. It's primary duty is to collect eyeballs in order to sell them to advertisers. If more people will donate their eyeballs to a story about Tom Brady than a story about anonymous people in Mattapan, then that's what will get aired.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. The media often covers more celebrity news and gossip, rather than the hard news that affects everyday people. Journalists want more readers or viewers - Tom Brady articles mean more viewers, readers and hits on a website. In reality, a quick brief would have done his story justice. It's something to think about for sure.
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