June 6 1944 was D-Day, and for CBS radio, and its news announcer Robert Trout (who was born near Raleigh NC), the initial news of the Normandy invasion came via German radio. Then, we had wire service, we had shortwave radio, and in the U.S., CBS affiliates were connected to CBS HQ in New York by frequency equalized telephone lines. No satellite, no Internet. Very little spin from CBS. Trout remains on the air, even taking the listener on a tour of CBS Radio's newsroom.
CBS HQ in NY made real time recordings of their coverage and mp3 files are available. Mr. Trout went on air from CBS radio HQ to report preliminary news that the invasion had started. And he reported that the BBC radio had broadcast in Dutch to Dutch listeners that invasion had begun, and that all underground supporters should report to their designated locations (vague, but meaningful). Raw news, reported in real time.
U.S. Supreme HQ in London finally makes a report, during the night, that the invasion has indeed taken place. Hear the actual report. Listen to the atmospheric noise during this announcement. Then hear a report by Edward R. Murrow (born in central North Carolina). Again, all radio, most of it live, using shortwave to receive reports from overseas, with teletype machines churning out text reports.
I think the archives speak for themselves, but if you take time to listen to the first hour of coverage from CBS, you will hear language, style, and caution that might give you a perspective on the news reporting style then, and what we get today.
The first hour of the CBS coverage is:
http://www.archive.org/...
All the mp3 files, 24 of them, are here:
http://www.archive.org/...
I offer this diary thinking that some might want to hear news coverage of a major international event when news coverage on radio was still new, and rather straightforwardly done. I offer it without editorial comment.
Good luck.