Communication Technology & Breaking News in the Past

     If you're old enough to remember the events that changed the world on September 11th, 2001, you will remember exactly where you were and what you were doing at the moment when you first heard that an airplane crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City. Now, take a moment to consider what you did next.

    I was at work in a large cubicle farm and a friend came by my desk to alert me of the news. We huddled her cubicle as she had a radio at her desk. We listened intently trying to make sense of what we were hearing. We also very likely logged onto CNN.com, which may have been difficult due to the increased network traffic making the radio the better option over the internet. The next few days were spent glued to the television to see the footage and understand the magnitude of what was happening as survivors were being rescued from the wreckage.  The following video is the breaking news broadcast from CNN.com:

    Today, the media communication is much different than it was more than ten years ago. If something as significant were happening today, the radio would not be my first choice of media outlet. I would likely hear about the tragedy on Facebook and would launch Twitter and search by a hashtag to find the up to the minute or even second update on what was happening.  I may or may not launch a news site to see what was being formally reported.

    Information is far more accessible than it was only ten years ago. The advances in communication are significant and have seriously impacted the news industry. In today's world the news industry has a tough job to get their reporters on site as quickly as possible to remain a reliable source of information and there is no longer any time to vet the information that is being gathered.