All true, and you said what I came here to say. Another point: breaking "news" is helpful for those who are affected by the situation at hand. What I think the author of the article fails to mention is that people are following the news because they are either involved, want to be connected (like you said), or know someone who is involved. I have several friends in Boston and I was following the news up to the second because I wanted to see what was happening. I took what I heard with a grain of salt, but I was better informed and more aware of their situation.