I fail to see the need for up-to-date stats on who has died and where. It fills the exact same need for an dopamine rush that traditional news does. "Compellingness" is just another way of saying it satisfies the mind's desire for more little chemical hits.

Anyone that has a direct need for the information (family, friends) can get it through the usual channels. For everyone else, it's just morbid fascination no matter how you attempt to justify it.