Knowing that The Onion is actually a fake news broadcast, I was expecting something slightly strange. Had I not known that it was a spoof, I probably would have tried to follow the program as closely as possible. Due to the fact that news programs want to be the first to report breaking news, it seems as though they will project information into society that it sometimes false. For example, the birth and death date of Don Abrams, the Senior Haition Burea Chief, was flashed across the screen for all the viewers to see. After a slight pause, Don Abrams' voice came back through, therefore the information that he was deceased was actually false. This reminds me of when Michael Jackson died. The news programs broadcasted that he had died, but I was not sure whether I should believe that it had actually happened.
Notice that the name of the "Breaking News" was "Something Happened in Haiti." This is a good representation of news broadcasts because they have no idea what is going on. They know that "something" is happening, but they do not know if it is good, bad, or even important for that matter. The people may have been hoisting a soccer player in the air, shooting Don Abrams, or cooking. Like real news programs, the viewers don't really know what has happened until a few days later when the program shows the "Breaking News" once again and confirms the true story.
Dianna, you said you didn't believe it after hearing about Michael Jackson’s death, because you have no faith in the news. Honestly, before now I've never put too much thought into the workings of TV news. Probably, a large amount of the public doesn't, either. There is a degree of acceptance when it comes to what we see on the news, because people expect it to be honest and informative. If news isn't fulfilling this purpose, then it is failing in its duty. It's sad, when someone must question something originally intended to be trustworthy.