By PROMINENT public commentator and environmental advocate, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has raised serious concerns over the growing misuse of the term “breaking news” by sections of the Nigerian media, describing the trend as misleading, unprofessional, and damaging to public trust.
Reacting to recent practices where routine government activities are repeatedly branded as “breaking news,” Onuesoke said many media organisations have abandoned accuracy for sensationalism in their desperate bid to attract traffic and political attention.
According to him, project commissioning, budget presentations, and official visits by the President or governors do not qualify as breaking news, as these events are pre-planned, scheduled, and predictable—lacking the urgency, shock, or immediacy that define genuine breaking news.
“It is an abuse of journalistic ethics for media houses to label every government outing as ‘breaking news’.
Commissioning of a road, presentation of a budget, or a courtesy visit is not breaking news. These are routine administrative activities that have been communicated ahead of time,” Onuesoke stated.
He stressed that breaking news should be reserved strictly for sudden, unexpected, and urgent events of immediate public interest—such as national emergencies, disasters, security threats, major policy reversals, or fast-unfolding developments.
Onuesoke warned that the persistent misuse of the term has eroded the credibility of the Nigerian media, making it increasingly difficult for citizens to distinguish true emergencies from routine political events.
“When everything becomes breaking news, nothing remains breaking. This misuse weakens media credibility and confuses the public. Journalism must not be reduced to political hype or entertainment,” he added.
He called on media regulators, journalism schools, editors, and professional bodies to retrain and re-orient practitioners on the proper use of newsroom terminology, noting that responsible journalism is essential for strengthening democracy, ensuring accountability, and building trust in public institutions.
Onuesoke also urged government spokespersons and political communication teams to stop projecting routine events as ‘breaking news’ for publicity gains, cautioning that such practices undermine transparency and the integrity of governance communication.
“Nigeria deserves a media that is factual, disciplined, and responsible enough to differentiate between genuine national alerts and ordinary government ceremonies.”
He reaffirmed his commitment to continue championing issues that affect national ethics, governance standards, and public enlightenment.
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