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In the dark ages, newspapers published “extra” editions to deliver huge breaking news (war declared, assassination, etc.)
The practice evolved into “late editions,” but extras faded. News outlets published them occasionally, even in the modern era (9/11 attacks).
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The practice evolved into “late editions,” but extras faded. News outlets published them occasionally, even in the modern era (9/11 attacks).
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Extras died because radio came along. Obviously it was much faster. Listeners grew accustomed to ominous announcements (“We interrupt this program...”). The 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast famously played on this effect.
Extras died because radio came along. Obviously it was much faster. Listeners grew accustomed to ominous announcements (“We interrupt this program...”). The 1938 Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast famously played on this effect.
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Seems to me we’ve forgotten something about the “we interrupt” effect: the idea that interrupting daily routines of life was *impolite* and only the most important news justified the interruption. As an audience, we were conditioned to think we ought to stop and listen.
Seems to me we’ve forgotten something about the “we interrupt” effect: the idea that interrupting daily routines of life was *impolite* and only the most important news justified the interruption. As an audience, we were conditioned to think we ought to stop and listen.
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TV picked up the “we interrupt” effect with special bulletins and the like. Again, audiences were conditioned: Oh, this is important, what’s going on. For a long time, it was still understood that news orgs reserved such actions for the biggest stuff.
TV picked up the “we interrupt” effect with special bulletins and the like. Again, audiences were conditioned: Oh, this is important, what’s going on. For a long time, it was still understood that news orgs reserved such actions for the biggest stuff.
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The landscape changed with the normalizing of the 24/7 cable cycle and the digital revolution. Now news is constant, always breaking, because shows and outlets have space to fill. Everything is important. Everything is breaking. We don’t interrupt — we’re always talking.
The landscape changed with the normalizing of the 24/7 cable cycle and the digital revolution. Now news is constant, always breaking, because shows and outlets have space to fill. Everything is important. Everything is breaking. We don’t interrupt — we’re always talking.
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The constant stream means constant notifications, constant urgency, constant push. News orgs chasing attention make everything louder, all the time. The volume is always at 11. It’s exhausting. And yes, we can choose to tune it out, but...
The constant stream means constant notifications, constant urgency, constant push. News orgs chasing attention make everything louder, all the time. The volume is always at 11. It’s exhausting. And yes, we can choose to tune it out, but...
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...it’s hard to resist (you might miss something!).
News orgs count on that lure. It’s a tactic, a commercial imperative.
In a sense, it’s also a breach of trust, breaking an unspoken pact with viewers/listeners/readers: We won’t interrupt unless it’s *really* important.
...it’s hard to resist (you might miss something!).
News orgs count on that lure. It’s a tactic, a commercial imperative.
In a sense, it’s also a breach of trust, breaking an unspoken pact with viewers/listeners/readers: We won’t interrupt unless it’s *really* important.
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Breaking that pact, imo, is/was bad. Mocking BREAKING has become a joke, highlighted by examples of comparatively trivial stuff pitched as if it’s a bombshell when it isn’t. The orgs have no one but themselves to blame. When everything is important, nothing is important.
Breaking that pact, imo, is/was bad. Mocking BREAKING has become a joke, highlighted by examples of comparatively trivial stuff pitched as if it’s a bombshell when it isn’t. The orgs have no one but themselves to blame. When everything is important, nothing is important.
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This is just my sense, but I think the news noise accounts for much of the apathy lamented by the civic-minded. We’ve poisoned the well because we’ve lost touch with the idea that interruptions should be reserved for big moments, not the same stuff repeated in a loop all day.
This is just my sense, but I think the news noise accounts for much of the apathy lamented by the civic-minded. We’ve poisoned the well because we’ve lost touch with the idea that interruptions should be reserved for big moments, not the same stuff repeated in a loop all day.
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The obvious solution — say less, talk less, WAIT — is anathema to current news models. How can it possibly be right to seek less attention? But I still think that’s part of the answer. To build trust, it’s necessary to pick moments, to shut up more often.
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The obvious solution — say less, talk less, WAIT — is anathema to current news models. How can it possibly be right to seek less attention? But I still think that’s part of the answer. To build trust, it’s necessary to pick moments, to shut up more often.
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