Breaking news refers to current events that are developing or have just occurred, often requiring immediate reporting. This type of news is significant enough to warrant interrupting regular programming and requires journalists to prioritize immediacy over accuracy, sometimes resulting in limited information at first with updates as more details become available. Breaking news can cover a wide range of topics, from natural disasters and political upheaval to accidents and tragedies.
It is important for stations to have a breaking news plan in place so the team can quickly assess an event and decide what to broadcast, when to broadcast it and where to put the content on air. For example, should a live video be broadcast, what should the lead-in say and how much information is needed to provide context? It is also important for stations to determine if their breaking news story will be included in the news crawl, and what that criteria should be.
Having a plan in place will help reporters avoid making assumptions during a breaking news story. For instance, if there is an accident in a remote location it is easy to assume that the person involved is deceased. This is why it is so important to always verify information before reporting it.
Consideration must be given to ensuring that any names of people who may have been injured or killed in an event are not reported until the family has been informed and their consent has been obtained. The importance of respecting victims’ privacy must be weighed against the public’s right to know what is happening.
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