Tuesday, August 01, 2006
This just in
The cable news networks seem to be using all-caps labels such as "BREAKING NEWS" and "DEVELOPING STORY" more and more. I am not sure exactly what a developing story is versus one that is undeveloping, but here are some more labels for possible use:
  • DULL PROCESS STORY
  • STORY SOME EDITOR MADE A REPORTER DO AS PUNISHMENT
  • YET ANOTHER WEATHER STORY
  • STORY WE WERE GUILTED INTO DOING BY A PERSISTENT INTEREST GROUP
  • MEA CULPA DU JOUR (WE'RE SORRY)
  • AGONIZINGLY INCREMENTAL DEVELOPMENT IN AN APPARENTLY ENDLESS STORY
  • WE'RE JUST KILLING TIME HERE, FOLKS
  • THE END
 
posted by Andy Bechtel at 2:47 PM | Permalink |


3 Comments:


  • At 12:20 PM, Anonymous Anonymous

    What seems bizarre to me is that they use the BREAKING NEWS label for *hours* after the story has broken. I saw such a label on a CNN Headline News story last night about Floyd Landis which I had read about that morning in the N&O. The story done broke, fellas.

     

  • At 1:11 PM, Blogger Kathleen

    These are great! They ring true to every journalist.
    Here is another one that I thought of last year during the seemingly endless stories about ceremonies, etc. after the demise of John Paul II:
    STILL DEAD

     

  • At 7:01 PM, Blogger Unknown

    Yes, if we've all known about something for several hours, and the station is using FILE TAPE, it's no longer breaking! Christ, between that idiocy and the scary-sounding drumming that CNN is putting up, I'm convinced some junior high school journalism class is involved. With apologies to all junior high school journalism classes.

     
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