David Brinkley once said the one thing TV news does very well is that when there is no news, the networks still give it to you with the same emphasis as if there is. And he was a television guy--although one of the last generation, before 24/7 cable coverage took over completely.
The cable news channels do irritate, mixing news and opinion so carelessly, and effortlessly. The bumper-sticker questions and answers. The 20 seconds given to the other side on minor issues such as man and God and law. And sometimes completely ignoring real news.
We can't count the number of times a real piece of news was plainly ignored by either Fox or CNN, depending on the politics of the issue. One network would sic a pack of journalists on Issue A, and the other network would tiptoe quietly by.
Then there is the habit of continued BREAKING NEWS interruptions, music, and the graphics that accompany seemingly every story.
The new CEO of CNN, Chris Licht, appears to understand at least that problem. According to dispatches, the new CNN chief has told employees not everything needs to be labeled "breaking news."
That news hit the airwaves as breaking news. And, for once, it was.
Kudos to Mr. Licht, who has apparently been holding meetings with employees about this. (And those employees are talking to their colleagues in the press. Anonymously, of course.) Apparently the network's new boss has decided there should be parameters around when to use the big red BREAKING NEWS graphic and asked a team to put together guidelines for future use.
"This is a great starting point to try to make 'Breaking News' mean something BIG is happening," according to a memo written by Mr. Licht, and reported by CNBC. "We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers. You're already seeing far less of the 'Breaking News' banner across our programming. The tenor of our voice holistically has to reflect that."
Why, yes, it should. Remarkably, this new boss isn't the same as the old boss, and his bosses seem to be onboard, too. Which might mean more of a cultural change around news presentation rather than just a new chief's attempt at a footprint. Because in the last few months, those higher-ups running CNN have told the press that they'd like to emphasize journalism over sensationalism. They might have hired the right guy to do it.
That alone should qualify as breaking news.
Those of us who watch more than our fair share of news look forward to this change. Breaking news sounders have become too frequent in American lives. As far as breaking news, we're ready for a break.