When is a news alert not a news alert?

As a communications professional and consumer of news, I’ve signed up for various email news alerts through local TV stations and newspapers.

I appreciate getting a heads up on inclement weather, traffic accidents, school closings, major news, and yes, even breaking news about my favorite sports teams.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve received alerts for what I consider truly breaking, newsworthy stories:

• Obama to visit Raleigh next week
• Gas leak prompts closure of downtown building
• Tornado watch issued for most of Central North Carolina

However, I’m beginning to question the judgment of the online editors who send out news alerts. During that same time span, I also received the following email alerts:

• Lindsey Vonn to miss Sochi Olympics
• National unemployment rate dips to 6.7%
• Roy Williams questions veracity of former tutor

While I appreciate that our economy appears to be improving, news of unemployment rates is not actionable for me. I don’t need that information the instant it is released.

In the case of the last one, the UNC basketball coach’s comments actually came from a news conference the night before. Yet somehow an editor deemed it worthy of a news alert the next day. Perhaps they just wanted more Web traffic. Using this logic, I expect to receive a news alert soon informing me that the U.S. hostages in Iran have been freed.

My plea to news organizations is this: reserve alerts for breaking stories that truly impact your audience that moment. Stop with the alerts for general or old news. Our email inboxes are full enough as it is.