system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do people blame fox/msnbc/cnn/etc for spreading misinformation, instead of the viewers for encouraging it? (more people watch when they sensationalize stories)

Channels want ratings, and they are very sophisticated entities, so it is reasonable to assume they report news in a manner that the most people find enticing.

These channels are just giving the people what they want, right?
gpt
Because they have a journalistic responsibility that is supposed to trump their business interests. Yeah the shark on the New York subway might be an oddity and people will click on the link and watch the report but is that as important as international politics? No. 

Yeah, they are giving people what they want, but so is reality T.V.. People have proven that they do not choose what is best for them. I's like to draw a comparison to the obesity epidemic; People choose to eat unhealthy food over healthy food in the same way people choose to watch sensational news instead of real news.