Bin Laden and Breaking News

Photo by: Frank Gruber

Late evening on May 1, 2011, the news broke around the world that Osama bin Laden died.  This is being called a significant moment in American history, and even the history of the world.  The media coverage of the event has been overwhelming via every medium; television, phone calls, social media, news sites, etc.  There are real time updates of everything about the situation including breaking news tweets, status updates, blog posts, timelines, articles, extended coverage, and more.

The coverage of breaking news events has changed significantly with the progress of the Internet.  Before the Internet, social media sites, and smart phones; one found out about news via word of mouth and the next days paper.  Now there is real time updates of every type of breaking news.  For example, President Obama addressed the nation around 11:30 p.m.  His speech was broadcast on every major or news network in addition to being streamed live online.  The coverage is fueled by demand of the public, consumers want their news as fast as possible.  Check out this story from Poynter about the spread of the news via Twitter.

Photo by: Kennedy Parmar

In leiu of this demand for instant news however, media sources need to be careful in what they report and the accuracy of these reports.  For example, an MSNBC reporter tweeted "Obama shot and killed," saying her source was Jim Miklaszewski, NBC Chief Pentagon Correspondent.  A local Fox station labeled their report, "Obama Bin Laden Dead."  On national Fox news, Osama's name was spelled "Usama."  To keep the trust of the public, the credibility of the news sources, as well as the journalists themselves; checking sources and spell checking still needs to be a top priority even when releasing news quickly.