NBC News is shuttering Breaking News, the website, mobile app and Twitter feed (which has 9.4 million followers) whose mission was pretty simple: report breaking news, wherever it happens.
MSNBC Digital acquired BreakingNews.com in late 2009. “Not everyone wants news surrounded by commentary or features,” MSNBC Digital Network president Charlie Tillinghast said at the time. “Our goal as a news organization is to provide the most relevant experiences to satisfy distinct needs.”
A short time ago, Cory Bergman, who has been GM of Breaking News since 2011, tweeted the news:
This is a breaking story I hoped I'd never report: NBC News has decided to shut down Breaking News effective Dec 31. /1
— Cory Bergman (@corybe) December 8, 2016
There are about 20 staffers on the Breaking News team. NBC tells us they are “going to be working to try and find new roles for each of them in News or elsewhere at NBCU.” They are based in New York, Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles and London. Earlier this year, the site won the Online News Association’s top technology award for digital journalism.