BREAKING NEWS!!!

BREAKING NEWS!!! 11 Macy's stores to close!

Yes, that is the breaking news I heard today!!! What??? That's the breaking news??? I couldn't believe it!

It used to be that breaking news was something pretty earth shattering, such as an earthquake, massive casualties or the death of a very well known celebrity or president.

When did breaking news become news that is just new news? "Breaking News, the unemployment numbers for December are now in." "Breaking News, President elect Obama has just landed in Hawaii.". Really? Was there any specific reason I needed to know this... and as breaking news?

Now, I realize that the term 'breaking news' actually sounds like it should be news that is 'breaking' - meaning new news; but in past years, that is not how it was used. I remember that the term was used very infrequently; so when I heard it, I knew something terrible had happened, and I would stop what I was doing to hear the breaking news.

It wouldn't be so bad if they had different background audio/sound/music for the breaking news to discemminate the urgent serious breaking news from the new news. As far as I can tell, the background audio is the same no matter what the breaking news is about.

Well, that's my gripe. Maybe I am the only one who feels this way, I don't know; but like the 'boy who cried wolf', I will probably miss a real tragedy because I am starting to tune out the breaking news.