History Main / BearerOfBadNews

* This is one of the duties of Robert Sean Leonard's character in ''Film/SwingKids'', as part of his Nazi training. Thing is, he doesn't actually ''know'' that he's delivering bad news - he's just delivering boxes. When one of the recipients screams after opening hers, he opens the one he has yet to deliver and sees that [[spoiler:he's bringing Jewish widows - who had been ''unaware that they were widows'' - the ashes of their husbands]].'

* In ''Anime/{{Monster}}'', Tenma finds himself having to meet up with his ex-fiancee to let her know that her current love interest [[spoiler:is dead]].

* Done repeatedly in the ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' fanfic ''Fanfic/BeyondHeroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium''. First, Varric has to be the one to tell his old pal Hawke that the rumors about the Conclave explosion are true, and "I don’t know how to tell you this, but there was exactly one survivor of the disaster and she’s got the same name as you." This is the ''least'' bad of all the bad news anyone has to deliver during the course of the story.

* This is one of the duties of Robert Sean Leonard's character in ''Film/SwingKids'', as part of his Nazi training. Thing is, he doesn't actually ''know'' that he's delivering bad news - he's just delivering boxes. When one of the recipients screams after opening hers, he opens the one he has yet to deliver and sees that [[spoiler:he's bringing Jewish widows - who had been ''unaware that they were widows'' - the ashes of their husbands]].
* ''Film/IntoTheStorm2009'' features the historical figure of Captain Pim. Poor Captain Pim. Man only gets to announce the bad news. Lampshaded by Churchill when he finally announces something good (the German surrender and the war's end).
-->'''Churchill''': After bringing me bad news for five years, in one fell swoop you have redeemed yourself.
* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', one of the Hydra officers comes back to the Red Skull to tell him Cap and the Howling Commandos destroyed another of their factories, but they "fought to the last man." Red Skull pulls out a pistol, saying, "Evidently not!" ''*bang*''
* At the start of ''Film/TheRightStuff'', the widow of a test pilot is shown cowering in fear from the saturnine black-clad priest approaching her door, being all too aware of what his presence means.
* ''Film/SavingPrivateRyan''. Mrs Ryan collapses on seeing an army vehicle turn up at her house with a priest.
* ''Film/ThePerfectStorm''. Bob Brown, the owner of the ''Andrea Gail'', has to personally drop the news to the crew's friends and relatives that the rescue helicopter had to ditch in the middle of the storm. Lampshaded by Bobby's mother at the moment he enters the tavern:
-->If it were good news he would've given us a phone call.
* The Australian film ''The Telegram Man'' (2018) has the title character delivering telegrams to isolated Outback farms, a job that makes him quite popular as the bearer of news from the outside world... until World War II breaks out.
* ''Film/ToughGuys:'' Richie has to reluctantly tell Harry and Archie a lot of bad news upon their release (such as that Harry has reached mandatory retirement despite his desire to have a job and that the terms of their parole forbid them from hanging out for three years).

* The taxi cab driver in ''Film/WeWereSoldiers''. Mrs. Moore is not pleased when he scares her by coming to her door with the telegram, only to ask for directions to another house. He sadly replies that [[TearJerker he didn't want that job, he's just trying to do it.]] [[note]] TruthInTelevision, tragically enough. Consider that the guys who deliver those messages in the military are specially trained to deal with the consequences of this trope, while taxi cab drivers are not.[[/note]] Mrs. Moore tells him to bring all future telegrams to her house, so she can take on the job herself.

* The Courier in ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'' exists solely to deliver despondent and doom-laden dispatches from UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington to Congress... and to sing a TearJerker song about how his best friend died alone at Lexington and Concord.

* ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' features this trope ([[TropeOverdosed among pretty much all of them]]):

** Oliver starts to be this for Nyssa after she has come searching for Sara, only for her to realise before he tells her that Sara's dead. Katrina Law's acting is so good in this scene, you can literally see the moment that Nyssa realises the love of her life is dead.

* Regularly used, since, when Learned FromTheNews isn't used, either the police or one of the two main families finds out about something a significant amount of time before someone else who is entitled to the knowledge.

* In "Heir To The Demon", Felicity Smoak discovers evidence that Thea Queen is actually Malcolm Merlyn's love child with Moira Queen. [[EveryoneCanSeeIt Seeing how Felicity is smitten with her son Oliver]], Moria tries to use this trope to threaten her into silence, saying that the revelation will tear their family apart and Oliver will always blame her for that. It doesn't work because Felicity isn't an IgnoredEnamoredUnderling but Oliver's FireForgedFriend (and it's implied [[ShipTease he has romantic interest in her]]) so Oliver gets the truth from her anyway and Moira's actions remove any sympathy he might have had for his mother.

* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', Oliver starts to be this for Nyssa after she has come searching for Sara, only for her to realise before he tells her that Sara's dead. Katrina Law's acting is so good in this scene, you can literally see the moment that Nyssa realises the love of her life is dead.

* News anchors are, by nature of the profession, required to bear bad news. Walter Cronkite famously broke down in tears while announcing to the US public that President Kennedy had been shot and killed...and only paused long enough to wipe off his glasses, before continuing to explain the situation in his usual calm and authoritative manner.

* Howard Cosell turned into this when Music/JohnLennon was killed in 1980. Thanks to a producer for Creator/{{ABC}}'s New York station being right next to Lennon as he was wheeled into Roosevelt Hospital, word got to Roone Arledge, then head of both ABC News and ABC Sports. He promptly passed it down to Cosell, who was in the booth during ''Series/MondayNightFootball''. He and the other commentators debated during a break whether or not to announce it, but ultimately agreed.

** The second season ends with the heroes returning from an adventure in another dimension, all feeling pretty good about themselves... only to find Willow waiting for them, looking miserable. One look at her face is all Angel needs.

* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} book ''Discworld/NightWatch'', Nobby Nobbs is ''never'' allowed to be this, due to what is [[NoodleIncident only referred to]] as "the "bet you a dollar you're the widow Jackson" nonsense".[[note]]i.e., "I'm looking for the Widow Jackson", "She ain't a Widow", "Bet you a dollar".[[/note]]

* Subverted in ''Theatre/CaesarAndCleopatra'', where the garrison of a border post receives a bearer of evil tidings with much fuss and honour. A Persian mercenary expresses surprise at this, and his commander explains:

--> "I have a message... Lieutenant Colonel... Henry Blake's plane... was shot down... over the Sea of Japan... it spun in... there were no survivors."

** Happens also when [[spoiler: Director Jenny Sheppard is killed]] and [=Ducky=] is told by phone, and then has to tell Abby and [=McGee=]. And again in season six, when Gibbs has to tell [[spoiler: Michelle Lee's daughter that Lee is dead]].

** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', one of the sidequests has you informing the widows of fallen soldiers of the fates of their husbands. You can either do this yourself or have a party member do it for you. Alistair, Wynne, and Leliana try to break the news as gently as they can while Morrigan, Oghren, or Sten will either be incredibly blunt or just plain insulting.

* In the Loud House fanfic [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12547538/4/From-the-Wreckage From the Wreckage]], Rita tells each of the surviving Loud kids that Lori, Lola and Lynn Sr. are dead.

* In ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'', a [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Western Union man would have been the bearer]] (of [[spoiler:Betty's husband's death]]), but [[RulesLawyer he treats it so disrespectfully]][[note]]He forgot the form the recipient had to sign after he came into the locker room and was going to leave to collect it, leaving the ladies not knowing who was the recipient[[/note]] that Dugan kicks him out and shouldered the duty himself.[[note]]Then again, [[WildMassGuessing Jimmy might've forced the issue knowing if it waited, it would've been a distraction to the team.]][[/note]]

* According to the ''WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail'' "[[Recap/StrongBadEmailE126BestThing Best Things]]", this was apparently going to be a RunningGag on the BandToon [[ShowWithinAShow Within A Toon]] "Limozeen: But They're In Space!", with manager Teeg Dougland preceding exposition with the line "I'm afraid I've got some bad news, boys..."

* In ''Film/ALeagueOfTheirOwn'', a [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Western Union man would have been the bearer]] (of [[spoiler:Betty's husband's death]]), but [[RulesLawyer he treats it so disrespectfully]][[note]]He forgot the form the recipient had to sign after he came into the locker room and was going to leave to collect it leaving the ladies not knowing who was the recipient[[/note]] that Dugan kicks him out and shouldered the duty himself.[[note]]Then again, [[WildMassGuessing Jimmy might've forced the issue knowing if it waited, it would've been a distraction to the team.]][[/note]]

* The taxi cab driver in ''Film/WeWereSoldiers''. Mrs. Moore is not pleased when he scares her by coming to her door with the telegram, only to ask for directions to another house. He sadly replies that [[TearJerker he didn't want that job, he's just trying to do it.]] [[note]] TruthInTelevision, tragically enough. Consider that the guys who deliver those messages in the military are specially trained to deal with the consequences of this trope, while taxi cab drivers are not.[[/note]] Mrs Moore tells him to bring all future telegrams to her house, so she can take on the job herself.

* ''Film/IntoTheStorm2009'' features the historical figure of Captain Pim. Poor Captain Pim. Man only gets to announce the bad news. Lampshaded by Churchill when he finally annouced something good (the German surrender and the war's end).
-->'''Churchill''': "After bringing me bad news for five years, in one fell swoop you have redeemed yourself."

* ''Film/ThePerfectStorm''. Bob Brown, the owner of the Andrea Gail boat, has to personally drop the news to the crew's friends and relatives that the rescue helicopter had to ditch in the middle of the storm. Lampshaded by Bobby's mother on the moment he enters the tavern:

* The Australian film ''The Telegram Man'' (2018) has the title character delivering telegrams to isolated Outback farms, a job that makes him quite popular as the bearer of news from the outside world...until World War 2 breaks out.

** {{Subverted|Trope}} when a doctor tells his patient that they have her test results. He asks " May I be blunt with you?" to which she responds "No." He looks confused and struggles of what to say. Finally he says, " Well, everything is fine. You're not gonna die!" She is very happy with this information and leaves as the doctor sighs to himself.

--> "I have a message...Lieutenant Colonel...Henry Blake's plane...was shot down...over the Sea of Japan...it spun in...there were no survivors."
** In a later episode, a soldier dies in an ambulance wreck; he was the driver, had been called out on his DrivesLikeCrazy tendencies before, and was responsible for the wreck. Radar brings in a suggested draft of the letter to the soldier's parents that puts the death in a kinder light.

* In ''Series/TheWestWing'', Bartlet's best friend and chief of staff Leo has to bring him two of the worst pieces of news of his life: once that Mrs. Landingham, his beloved secretary, has been killed in a car accident, and the other time that his youngest daughter Zoey has been kidnapped. Notably, there is no sound in either of these scenes. In the final season, it's C.J. who has to tell him that Leo has died of a heart attack. Another moment, featuring severe MoodWhiplash, is in a flashback to the Bartlet campaign's first big victory at the Illinois primary, when Donna (who's only recently started working for Josh) has to interrupt his celebrating to tell him his father died.
* In ''Series/{{Arrow}}'', Oliver starts to be this for Nyssa after she has come searching for Sara, only for her to realise before he tells her that Sara's dead. Katrina Laws acting is so good in this scene, you can literally see the moment that Nyssa realises the love of her life is dead.

* In ''Series/MillionYenWomen'', Minami works at night and comes back before the rest of the houselhold. This causes her to be the one to find [[spoiler:Nanaka's dead body]] and to have to tell the others.

* Creator/{{Shakespeare}}'s ''Theatre/RichardIII'' in the last act, who strikes the messenger before he even finishes his sentence about his enemy the Duke of Buckingham, crying "Till you bring better news!" It turns out that the news is that Buckingham has ''surrendered''. The scene shows that Richard is [[VillainousBreakdown beginning to crack up]] under his confident facade. Although when the messenger finishes delivering his message Richard [[PetTheDog apologizes to the man and gives him some money to make it up to him.]] And it's worth pointing out that the messenger was actually the ''third'' messenger in a row to come to Richard with news and the [[RuleOfThrees first two had been all bad]].

* In Creator/{{Euripides}}' ''Theatre/TheTrojanWomen'' Talthybius, Agamemnon's herald and friend, always appears to deliver some brand new misfortune like that [[MadeASlave all of the women are being divided up and given to different Greek heroes]], or that Cassandra will be given to Agamemnon and Hecuba to Odysseus. Or even worse he delivers to Andromache of the Greeks’ plan to [[WouldHurtAChild kill her son]].

** The Grey Wardens tend to fill this role. The bad news is usually Darkspawn related, i.e. "Darkspawn are coming", "Darkspawn are already here", "A Blight has begun so get ready for an ''army'' of Darkspawn led by an Archdemon"...as a result, people tend to have mixed feelings when Wardens show up.
** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', one of the sidequests has you informing the widows of fallen soldiers of the fates of their husbands. You can either do this yourself or have a party member do it for you. Alistair, Wynne and Leliana try to break the news as gently as they can while Morrigan, Oghren or Sten will either be incredibly blunt or just plain insulting.

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011'' prodigal FourStarBadass Grune [[DeathNotification informs]] his king Claudus of mutual friend and fellow general Panthro's death with a [[HeDidntMakeIt headshake]], and melancholic praise for his skill in battle. Then he hands over a single [[TragicKeepsake nunchaku]] of Panthro's.