For quite a long time during the Northeast blackouts yesterday, MSNBC was running video of tens of thousands of New Yorkers leaving the city on foot, with the only caption being “Breaking News: All Broadway Shows Cancelled.” I’m not sure this was the most important piece of information to convey. The commentary was often centered on how the exodus was going, and there was no actual mention of blackouts onscreen.

When they finally rotated the headline, it said “20,000 New Yorkers Wait to Leave the City by Ferry,” which wouldn’t have resolved the confusion of viewers tuning in late either.