First of all, thanks for writing the article and drawing attention to the greatness of this scene. But also, I still think you're missing some of the point of it.

The point is that the content of the TV news story is essential to the design of the scene. It's not just "white noise" meant to convey a busy newsroom, nor does it have "zero relevance to the story," nor is "the statement that causes all this hubbub" left unrevealed "during this scene, or later in the film." (It's…

I agree. I think saying the background action has "zero relevance to the story" actually misses the overall point of the scene. What's happening in the background has a direct relationship to the importance of what's happening in the foreground. That's part of why a diopter is used to bring them both into focus at the…