"SPECIAL REPORT" vs. "BREAKING NEWS" vs. "BULLETIN"

[Early Byrd]

Some of us remember when radio and TV stations used to interrupt regular programming with information on an important news story that was happening at the moment, or had occured recently. Back "in the day" it was always a news "bulletin". Somewhere along the line, bulletins became "special reports", and, still later "breaking news". I'm nostalgic for the time when the dramatic interruption of a radio or TV show was ushered in with words to the effect that "we interrupt this program to bring you this news bulletin"...it had a sense of urgency to it that has been watered down by the phrases "special report" or even "breaking news". Anybody feel the same way?

 

[WLYNWAZNgm]

It was different, back in the day - no 24-hour cable news outlets,
internet, etc. I had this argument with a friend who used to work
for the Patriot Ledger. I maintained that newspapers are no longer
"news", but are information. In some cases what they were reporting
was almost 24 hours old, and most people had already heard about it...

 

[BRNout]

Some of us remember when radio and TV stations used to interrupt regular programming with information on an important news story that was happening at the moment, or had occured recently. Back "in the day" it was always a news "bulletin". Somewhere along the line, bulletins became "special reports", and, still later "breaking news". I'm nostalgic for the time when the dramatic interruption of a radio or TV show was ushered in with words to the effect that "we interrupt this program to bring you this news bulletin"...it had a sense of urgency to it that has been watered down by the phrases "special report" or even "breaking news". Anybody feel the same way?

Yes, I can agree with you on this. And, for years, people referred to any such break in programming as a 'bulletin' even if it was labeled as a 'special report'. There was a time (during the 70s) when "special report" was used most of the time with "bulletin" reserved for the most urgent stories. Not sure why they eventually went to 'special report' but it's boring. The term "bulletin" definitely conveys a level of urgency and seriousness that makes you want to stop what you're doing and pay attention.

As for "BREAKING NEWS", I have grown to hate the use/overuse of that expression. For one thing, it's grammatically improper having been adapted from newsroom vernacular. For another, "breaking" implies that it's happening right now. Most stories that are now marked as 'breaking' have already been broken into 100 little pieces as they are hours old.

Much of the handling of such unexpected news cut-ins has changed with the advent of 24/7 news channels and a 24/7 news cycle. So, in reality, the relevance of the 'special report' is probably just as quaint and obsolete as the use of the more urgent-sounding "bulletin".

 

[raccoonradio]

Breaking News on cable (Nancy Grace, etc.) means old stuff about Joran Van Der Sloot or whatever his name is

I'm hearing "this just in" on occasion...then there is, or was, Fox News Alert.

 

[Smoke]

Fox News Alerts used to be used just for updates on existing stories they were already talking about. "Fox News Alert, Gary Coleman still dead." would not be out of the ordinary.

These days, aside from WBZ-AM, who can really even do "alerts" with their outsourced news teams?

 

[motormouth]

95.9 WATD

 

[MarcB]

I don't watch the so called all-news channels anymore, but it was so annoying. I remember during the last administration:

FOX NEWS ALERT - President Bush boarded a plane

FOX NEWS ALERT - President Bush's plane landed.

In my opinion it should only be a FOX NEWS ALERT - BUSH'S PLANE CRASHED. You know what I mean?

 

[DToTheJ]

When Obama and Biden ate at that restaurant last year, that was also considered a "Fox News Alert." (Maybe it's supposed to vicariously double as a traffic alert? I don't know...)