Something else that could be interesting is 'how' news is gathered in those locations. Take for example 'florida man'. People in the rest of the country do crazy things too. But due to the way crimes are reported and how news is created in florida it creates an impression of something 'different'. Remember news is also not necessarily 'news' it is also a form of entertainment for many. So things that are popular will tend to pop to the top. As those orgs will get feedback that people want to hear more about a particular thing. It is why click baiting is so effective.