Ratings. Also, 24-hour news networks need to fill 24 hours of broadcast time, and sometimes there's not 24 hours woth of news in a day. But, mostly, ratings.
“If it bleeds, it leads.”
Give the People What They Want - The Kinks
Well, it’s been said before, the world is a stage
A different performance with every age.
Open the history book to any old page
Bring on the lions and open the cage.
Give the people what they want
You gotta give the people what they want
The more they get, the more they need
And every time they get harder and harder to please
The Roman promoters really did things right.
They needed a show that would clearly excite.
The attendance was sparse so they put on a fight
Threw the Christians to the lions, sold out every night
Give the people what they want
You gotta give the people what they want
The more they get, the more they need
And every time they get harder and harder to please
Give ‘em lots of sex, perversion and rape
Give ‘em lots of violence, and plenty to hate
Give the people what they want
Give the people what they want
When Oswald shot Kennedy, he was insane
But still we watch the re-runs again and again
We all sit glued while the killer takes aim
“Hey Mom, there goes a piece of the president’s brain!”
Give the people what they want
You gotta give the people what they want
Blow out your brains, and do it right
Make sure it’s prime time and on a Saturday night.
You gotta give the people what they want
You gotta give the people what they want
Give the people what they want
Give the people what they want
Give the people what they want
sometimes there's not 24 minutes worth of news in a day.