Cable news will be the downfall of civilization. As I was working out today, the day after MJ died, programming on CNN and FOX was captioned, “BREAKING NEWS: MJ something or other…” Sorry, but this sad event was breaking news yesterday. Camera shots of crowds waiting for a statement from police or old stock footage of MJ throughout the years does not constitute breaking news. Pearl Harbor, the assassination of JFK, and 9/11 were breaking news; developments in a day old story do not constitute breaking news. I have no problem with captioning the unfolding of further details here as “Ongoing Developments.” However, the misuse of the “Breaking News” tag is a cynical ploy by corporate media to capture our attention in an age where that very media has been instrumental in shortening our collective attention spans and fostering a culture of ahistoric sensationalism.