24/7 news is everywhere and while it is useful in times of big events, the reliability of the information is often limited.
Twenty four/seven news cycles are omnipresent, and unfortunately, rare are the people who can’t say that they didn’t have a moment — a night or an afternoon — they spent glazing at a screen during an attack, natural catastrophe or election. The instantaneous news delivery around the country has enabled great mobilization in record times. For example: last year when Puerto Rico was touched by Hurricane Irma.
While it has been a useful tool during hard times not directly caused by humans, it sadly has more downfalls than advantages. Indeed, quality and accuracy of information can be done in time, but when the information release is immediate, the sources used might not be the most reliable ones. Already accelerated with television, 24/7 news cycle have known a second boom with the advent of social media. One bad retweet by an information network can either project them in the foreground or destroy their credibility.
The master in the domain being Fox News. I remember with nostalgia their coverage of the Charlie Hebdo attack, describing Paris as a “No go zone”, a war area. When in reality, croissants were being made just as normally as every other day. The problem with immediate information is that it can turn out to be fake news almost as quickly as it was released. Moreover, the continuous news coverage often puts the government in the light and enables the public to examine every move and every word they make in the minutes following a crisis. 
But behind this news, there have to be people, especially since A.I. is not developed enough yet. Understaffed newsrooms have to deal with two problems: managing too much news for the number of workers present or coming up with news when there is nothing happening. Therefore in a world where sensational news gets more attention than relevant and newsworthy topics, media outlets show the blood, the suffering and sometimes the inappropriate. Sharing and showing have become the watchwords of the 24/7 news cycles. But behind the images shown just to be shown, there are people and family. And it is not acceptable to learn the death or injury of a loved one in HD.
Can’t we all just pause a second and remember what we are doing, why we are doing it and that we are just humans?
