Yes, it happens in traditional media too, albeit more crudely. After all, all of the incentives are already there. Run stories about rare but terrible crimes -

Yes, it happens in traditional media too, albeit more crudely. After all, all of the incentives are already there. Run stories about rare but terrible crimes -> more people watch your news -> ad revenue goes up -> run more stories about even rarer but more terrible crimes -> even more viewers -> wash, rinse, repeat -> everyone thinks the govt should be "tough on crimes" even though our society is the safest ever.