We report the horrors of war in a faint hope that future wars can be averted. News of railroad accidents and airplane crashes alerts us to human error that can cost lives and motivates us to urge regulations that will guard against such errors. There's an old journalistic claim that news is anything that threatens one's life or one's pocketbook. But threats to life and wallet don't exhaust the definition of news. Much news threatens the heart.
Much news stretches the narrow mind.
Much news lifts our level of anxiety for those we love. Much news alerts me to those who threaten my freedom of inquiry, my freedom of movement, or my freedom to pursue a life of joy and peace. When I read of neo-Nazism or rampant ethnic cleansing, I'm reminded how important it is for me to defend the open airing of ideas and opinions and to provide a voice for the oppressed and disestablished. The genius of democracy is that the majority is compelled morally to defend the rights of the minority. Sure you can use news to make money, but quite frankly if you're reading the newspaper to keep track of your investments, you're about two days behind the market and have probably already lost your chance to get in or out as you wish.