breaking the story
Publishing it first
Breaking the story means being the first journalist or news outlet to publish or broadcast a piece of news.
The phrase emphasizes the competitive nature of reporting—whoever breaks a story gets credit for uncovering it: The Washington Post broke the story of the scandal.
A reporter who breaks a story has scooped the competition.
- public opinionSociety's shared attitudes
- scoopFirst-reported story
- broadcastTransmitted media signal
- media frenzyIntense journalistic attention surge
- controversyProlonged public disagreement
exclusive · front page · headline · correspondent · editor · deep throat · off the record · investigative reporting · climax · exposition · fact-checking · outline · pacing · whistleblower · backlash · viral · resolution · press conference
breaking the storycovering up
Hiding wrongdoing from others
hushing up · stonewalling · concealing · censoring · blacking out
breaking the storyburying the lede
Concealing crucial news deep
downplaying · underreporting · soft-pedaling · glossing over · shelving
breaking the storykeeping secrets
information blackout · media blackout · censorship · redacting · classification
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