It is with regret that I am writing that it seems that Michael Jackson has passed away.
With this terrible news, however, comes a classic example of how the different news agencies across the world work.
I heard the news firstly through the facebook status alerts of my friends.
I immediately logged onto BBC News Online, who were at the time (about 11.45 pm) reporting that the singer had been rushed to hospital following a suspected cardiac arrest.
Then I looked at Sky News website who used the headline Michael Jackson ‘is dead’.
Note the use of the speech marks, on the words ‘is dead’. This is Sky’s, and much of the global media’s way of attributing this claim to another source.
It is a classic use of technique by the news agencies famed for their ‘breaking news’, and interesting to compare with the more factually based BBC approach.
Where the BBC wait for a story to be confirmed, Sky pull and audience by breaking the news, be it a little wrong or not. Sky perhaps start and then correct, BBC correct and then start their report.
Anyway, a little interesting thing I noticed whilst watching this news break in the last 15 minutes. News breaking is very exciting and this is one worth keeping an eye on.
Sad news, and a big loss.
