Gary Schwitzer is the founder and publisher of HealthNewsReview. He has covered health care news almost exclusively since 1973. Here is his online bio. He tweets as @garyschwitzer or as @HealthNewsRevu.
Breaking News!
What does that mean? Besides sinking to the level of the old TV news style of “If it bleeds, it leads” newscasts.
But the New York Times trotted out that tired old trope by tweeting, ‘Breaking News: A brain implant allowed a fully paralyzed man to communicate using his thoughts, a newly published study reported.”
I’m on a camping vacation and don’t have a computer with me, but I had to make at least a few comments about this post.
What does/should breaking news mean? I suggest that it means “Drop everything….this is something you must know right now…it will rock your world” – or something similar.
But here is what the term was applied to:
I emphasize that research looking for ways to help paralyzed people communicate is important. Some impressive, meaningful advances have already been made in this field.
Readers don’t benefit from “Breaking News” hype. Please allow the science, the data, the long-term results replicated by others to speak for itself.
Opinions on other issues in news, journals, PR, advertising, marketing
Take all the issues enmeshed in any cancer screening story and amplify it with the liquid biopsy issue. @AP's @CarlaKJohnson. did a solid job here. https://apnews.com/article/science-business-health-hodgkin-lymphoma-oregon-ca899bb9c4c7f1859d4e9ce16a1cf78d
Come on, NY Times; you must do better than this. Important research doesn’t need hype and the “breaking news” BS doesn’t help readers or patients. https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2022/03/nyt-proclaims-breaking-news/
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