Breaking News

media · current events · broadcasting · journalism

Interrupts normal programming. When something big and important happens, news stations stop showing their regular shows to tell everyone about it right away. This breaks into whatever you were watching.

Happens in real time. Breaking news covers events that are happening now or just happened, so reporters tell you about them as quickly as possible instead of waiting until the regular news broadcast.

Also called special reports. Breaking news goes by other names too, like late-breaking news, special coverage, or a news flash. They all mean the same thing: something important is happening and you need to know about it immediately.

Can feel dramatic. Because breaking news happens suddenly and grabs attention, some people think news stations sometimes make stories seem more exciting than they really are to keep viewers interested.