The words **“BREAKING NEWS — just 5 minutes ago…”** are enough to make almost anyone stop scrolling.
They create an immediate sense of urgency. Something has supposedly happened moments ago, and the reader feels that they need to know what it is before everyone else does. In the age of smartphones and social media, these kinds of headlines can spread incredibly quickly, appearing in posts, videos, notifications, and messages within minutes.
But there is an important question that should always come before sharing such a story: