Where did this come from? Simple answer: focus groups. Various news consultants determined that such terms as “special report” and “news bulletin” meant nothing to younger audiences. So, they had to come up with something that would persuade people to stay tuned, particularly younger viewers. So, they tested “breaking news” and found that phrase worked best.
The first place I ever saw “breaking news” used was on FNC. If Fox was the first with that term, it also served another purpose, to help differentiate the channel from its competitors.
There is very little in TV news that hasn’t been carefully researched and planned, from the sets and number of stories, to the anchors who read the news. “We Report, You Decide,” the phrase that helped launch FNC was selected after a lot of market research and focus group review.
It’s called infotainment and was described in anticipation by Paddy Chayefsky in the movie Network (see link below). It’s not about discernment or perceptive and intelligent insights, it’s about dumbing down to the impressionable young, the most ignorant generation ever. Everything and everybody caters to them. Witness the inane use of rap and hip hop bumper music (becoming more prevalent day by day) and the utter stupidity and banality of commercials. Sure, we live in an age where more information is available than ever before, but also a time when there are fewer knowledgeable people. This accounts for Obama’s success in large measure, the triumph of style (such as it is) over substance. He’s a marketable product just like a box of Kleenex. And he was sold like a box of Kleenex to a gullible and moronic electorate. A Washington or Jefferson wouldn’t have a chance with the voters of today. Jefferson - “I own that I am no friend of energetic government, it is always oppressive.” Obama - “Hope and Change.” Jefferson - “Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of liberty.” Obama - “You didn’t build that.” Washington - “To be prepared for war is one of the most effective means of preserving peace.” Obama- “Welcome to the white house Jay-Z.” Howard Beale (Network) - “We’re in a lot of trouble.” Just so.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFvT_qEZJf8