A news flash is urgent news that is considered important enough to interest most people, such as natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, or critical political news. Broadcast media interrupts regular programming to provide breaking news, while newspapers historically printed special editions known as extras. It is important to wait for confirmation before acting on a news flash, as information can change quickly.
A news flash or newsflash is urgent news of the last hour. The term is a reference to whether journalists are willing to break in or “flash” a broadcast to report the news. In broadcast media, the reporter often announces “news flash” or “breaking news” to alert viewers and listeners that important news is about to be broadcast. Historically, mass circulation newspapers were sometimes willing to print special editions known as extras to carry critical breaking news.
To be considered a news flash, a story must generally be considered important enough to interest most people. On a regular television station, for example, a news story about a sporting event would not be considered a news flash, but the assassination of a prominent political figure would be. News flashes can also cover things like natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, or critical political news like disruptions in peace talks. Most stations will also interrupt their broadcasts to provide safety information in the event of an emergency such as a rapidly spreading fire or epidemic, although this cannot be called a news bulletin.
In the case of broadcast media, the reporter usually interrupts the broadcast to inform viewers or listeners that a breaking news story is on the way, and then reads the news story in flash mode. Since people usually want more information about the news, the rest of the broadcast may be devoted to providing additional information, and news flashes usually repeat periodically so that viewers and listeners who have just tuned in can catch up on the news. Despite the desire for more information, broadcast media organizations sometimes find it difficult to gather additional facts soon after a major event, because the situation can be chaotic, so news flashes tend to get extremely repetitive.
Extras are rarely published in modern print media, in part because many newspapers operate websites, so breaking news can simply be moved to the top of the page. Historically, however, newspapers ran extras for the big breaking news, and news staff flooded the streets with the extra edition, shouting “read it all.” Extras were usually very scarce editions of the newspaper, thanks to the scarce information available, but in the era before mass communications, extras could be crucial in getting the news out.
One thing to be aware of when reading, viewing or listening to a news flash is that information can change quickly. While media organizations try to be as factual as possible, breaking news moves quickly and some information may be misreported or inaccurate. For this reason it is good practice to wait for confirmation before acting on a newsflash.
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