While your idea would keep the chaff out, it would also reduce the chance of FR breaking any news. (what if news breaks at 3 AM in Cincinatti?) A voting system would achieve the same, without creating another division between freepers.
If enough people judge the post to be significant, perhaps it could even be upgraded to the Alert column/box, as the situation develops.
There is a breaking news section where a post could be placed and promoted to the alert section if it was voted upon that it needed to be there. From my understanding of this proposal, the information placed there would be life-threatening only and the team would be in place 24/7. The 'CNN is reporting' threads could be in breaking news as always. Also, from the proposal, this is information before the media reports it.