I’ve noticed a trend on Eyewitness News to excitedly exclaim that there is a breaking or developing story at the top of every hour. It usually turns out the story in question is not an important development, but, nonetheless, editorial policy dictates they are to inform me that this is truly earth-shattering news. I appeal to the decision-makers at news agencies across SA to watch and internalise the excellent Good Night and Good Luck (2005), which shows that ultimately the duty of newsmen and women is to deliver the news accurately and impartially, and not to sensationalise every little event. We are inching towards a 24-hour news cycle, a phenomenon that (along with "fake news" sites and social media’s ignorance) is believed to have played a major role in delivering the White House to president-elect Donald Trump. If I may borrow from Aaron Sorkin’s excellent Newsroom: "There’s nothing more important in a democracy than a well-informed electorate. When there is no information or, ...
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