Why Is the News Always Breaking?
2021-03-26
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1One of our readers recently asked about the word 'breaking.'
2"I know about the word 'breaking,' as in 'breaking glass.' But what does it mean in 'breaking news'? And what is the meaning of 'breaking bad'?"
3If you watch television news broadcasts from the United States, you often see the words "breaking news."
4The noun "break" can mean something that causes a change or a delay in an action.
5You may hear a teacher say, "We will take a 10-minute break."
6Or you might enjoy a "coffee break," a few minutes away from work.
7We have used the word "break" to mean to make "a first and partial disclosure," that is, to make something known to the public, for a long time.
8The Online Etymology Dictionary says the word has been used this way for more than 750 years.
9In the news business, to "break a story" means to have the first report on the story.
10With social media like Twitter and Instagram, newsmakers and reporters can immediately send messages to the public.
11Being the first to report on an event or having an original story -- a "scoop" as reporters call it -- is becoming more difficult.
12In the past, when there was a disaster or an important news event, reporters would interrupt a regular television or radio broadcast.
13They often said, "We interrupt this program for an important announcement."
14They did not use the words "breaking news" because it was clear they were "breaking into" the regular program.
15Some media organizations still use the term "breaking news" to describe such an unusual report.
16But on many other news programs, the words "breaking news" appear every day, without a real interruption to the normal broadcast.
17They seem to simply mean that there is a news report coming up.
18It is probably not an original story.
19The Cambridge Dictionary has a more up-to-date definition for "breaking news."
20That is, "information that is being received and broadcast about an event that has just happened or just begun."
21A popular U.S. television series, Breaking Bad, told the story of an average high school chemistry teacher who became a drug dealer.
22The creator of the series, Vince Gilligan, was born in Richmond, Virginia.
23Gilligan told the American Film Institute that when he wrote the story, he gave it that name because he thought it was a commonly known expression.
24When he was growing up in Southern Virginia, the term "break bad" meant to "go wild" or to "break the law."
25Gilligan said you might hear someone say, "I was out the other night at the bar...and I really broke bad," ending up in a police car, for example.
26Breaking Bad's main character, Walter White, goes from a person you like to someone you hate.
27So "breaking bad" means for a good person to start doing bad things.
28The term is not very common, but it does appear in some movies and other television programs.
29In the 2016 movie, Fishes 'n' Loaves: Heaven Sent, a character says,
30Well, I mean, I guess we have our share of good old boys who break bad every now and again...
31In the U.S. South, "good old boys" refers to average local men.
32My advice to our readers is to understand that the words "breaking news" mean a broadcaster simply wants you to pay attention to their report.
33And I also advise you to stay away from anyone who is "breaking bad!"
34I'm Jill Robbins.
1One of our readers recently asked about the word 'breaking.' 2"I know about the word 'breaking,' as in 'breaking glass.' But what does it mean in 'breaking news'? And what is the meaning of 'breaking bad'?" 3If you watch television news broadcasts from the United States, you often see the words "breaking news." 4The noun "break" can mean something that causes a change or a delay in an action. You may hear a teacher say, "We will take a 10-minute break." Or you might enjoy a "coffee break," a few minutes away from work. 5Breaking news 6We have used the word "break" to mean to make "a first and partial disclosure," that is, to make something known to the public, for a long time. The Online Etymology Dictionary says the word has been used this way for more than 750 years. 7In the news business, to "break a story" means to have the first report on the story. With social media like Twitter and Instagram, newsmakers and reporters can immediately send messages to the public. Being the first to report on an event or having an original story -- a "scoop" as reporters call it -- is becoming more difficult. 8In the past, when there was a disaster or an important news event, reporters would interrupt a regular television or radio broadcast. They often said, "We interrupt this program for an important announcement." They did not use the words "breaking news" because it was clear they were "breaking into" the regular program. 9Some media organizations still use the term "breaking news" to describe such an unusual report. But on many other news programs, the words "breaking news" appear every day, without a real interruption to the normal broadcast. They seem to simply mean that there is a news report coming up. It is probably not an original story. 10The Cambridge Dictionary has a more up-to-date definition for "breaking news." That is, "information that is being received and broadcast about an event that has just happened or just begun." 11Breaking bad 12A popular U.S. television series, Breaking Bad, told the story of an average high school chemistry teacher who became a drug dealer. 13The creator of the series, Vince Gilligan, was born in Richmond, Virginia. Gilligan told the American Film Institute that when he wrote the story, he gave it that name because he thought it was a commonly known expression. When he was growing up in Southern Virginia, the term "break bad" meant to "go wild" or to "break the law." Gilligan said you might hear someone say, "I was out the other night at the bar...and I really broke bad," ending up in a police car, for example. 14Breaking Bad's main character, Walter White, goes from a person you like to someone you hate. So "breaking bad" means for a good person to start doing bad things. The term is not very common, but it does appear in some movies and other television programs. In the 2016 movie, Fishes 'n' Loaves: Heaven Sent, a character says, 15Well, I mean, I guess we have our share of good old boys who break bad every now and again... 16In the U.S. South, "good old boys" refers to average local men. 17My advice to our readers is to understand that the words "breaking news" mean a broadcaster simply wants you to pay attention to their report. And I also advise you to stay away from anyone who is "breaking bad!" 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Jill Robbins wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 20________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22interrupt -v. to cause (something) to stop happening for a time 23original - adj. made or produced first; not a copy 24character - n. a person who appears in a story, book, play, movie, or television show 25What expressions do you know with the word "breaking" We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.