Guessing, but it would make a lot of sense if there was a fair number of humans that are just primed to constantly look out for threats. If such people exist, they would love 24-7 news coverage of bad news even though it makes their lives worse.

Following news makes little sense for keeping a person informed. There are too many completely conflicting sources of news. All the news informs of is what other people who watch the news will have opinions on.