The mechanism embedded in our brains that is responsible for rationalization, searching for reasons, and attempting to predict consequences, as well as the urge to find patterns in random events and the obsessive desire to explain everything to ourselves and others, is regulated by dopamine. This neurotransmitter has been responsible for exploratory activity and goal-seeking since the time when fish first ventured onto land.
We receive positive reinforcement through rationalization. This can lead to cascading, resonant effects, for example, when we hear something that strikes a chord with us, which activates the dopaminergic system. This, in turn, makes us more inclined to trust the informational constructs presented in the news.
The main thing is that the news is presented in a way that establishes some cause-and-effect relationship. Compare for yourself which seems more plausible: “The national hero hanged himself” and “The national hero committed suicide to avoid disgrace.” Or “All Jews must be exterminated” and “Jews are subject to extermination because they are subhumans and parasitize on other nations.”
The resonance is amplified by the fact that the people who create such information are also driven by the same dopamine, and they get their dose not from writing something well or correctly, but from the number of views on their videos, likes on social media, citations, and attention in general.
As a result, the entire system, like in any resonance, goes out of control.