Accuracy Is Possibly Impossible
In the video from The Onion: Something Is Happening in Haiti, it is confusing, irritating, and annoying among many other thoughts. I was frustrated to watch the video and to think that this kind of news broadcasting actually happens.
When I think of breaking news, I automatically know that I will not get all of the facts. Chances are that it will take weeks or months before all of the details come out. But that is breaking news. This is meant for broadcasters to relay the message that something big is happening right now. Of course they are not going to have the facts right then especially if the big event if still happening but viewers want to know that information so in general people are satisfied with knowing anything.
September 11th for example took months possibly even years before anyone knew all of the stories and inofrmation that could confirm the actual facts of the event. It would be impossible to gain all of that information so it is the job of the news to look at the context clues and by their best judgement, come up with some answers for the viewers. The answer may change as time goes on but the event may also change so that is to be expected. Breaking news is meant to get the news out right away, facts or no facts, it is the job of the news to inform their viewers with what is going on in the world.
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April Minerd on Accuracy Is Possibly Impossible: I like that you've sided with
I like that you've sided with the TV news; because it's pretty easy to find fault in something, nothing is ever totally perfect. When it comes to a breaking story, I get that pressure and time are not on the journalist side; however, in the onion portrayal, we see reporters assuring accuracy in their announcements. The anchor woman applies the phrase "we can now confirm." If there is any level of uncertainty in the details, it should be made clear to viewers, not reported inaccurately just to insure this news channel will be seen as the authority on the story.
I'm pretty sure that the Onion video we watched was not an actual newscast, but a spoof. If anything doesn't give that away more that the newsstation logo that resembles CNN, its the quick shot of Abrams's years of birth and death, suggesting that the silence is due to his death following the pop. Additionally, the anchor woman is quite oobviously unrefined in how she holds herself. Only polished anchors would work for CNN. Simply, they have the money to hire the best. Also, Abrams doesn't really talk so choppy.