As Poynter reported, CNN will cut back on its use of the phrase “breaking news” in its reporting.
New CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht reportedly sent a memo to staff to announce the network will reduce its use of the “Breaking News” banner. He said it runs far too often. He believes it is used so much that its impact has become lost on the audience.
Poynter said CNN once used the “Breaking News” banner while talking about the 102nd anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, and that CNN’s credibility is damaged when it uses that banner simply in an attempt to get viewers to pause what they’re doing and watch.
Shop Talk is a weekly panel discussion about journalism issues. This week’s program featured Will Buss, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University and advises the student editors at the Western Courier, the students at student radio station The Dog, and the WIU chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists; Rajvee Subramanian, who teaches in the Department of Broadcasting and Journalism at Western Illinois University; and TSPR News Director Rich Egger.
