It is illegal to yell "FIRE" in a crowded movie theater, but news media routinely report deliberately alarmist or sensationalist stories to get ratings.
For example: Remember 2003 when "SARS" was the boogeyman? The media reported on it constantly, it's dangerous, people are dying, protect your children, etc. This caused disruptions in commerce, and monetary loss to the travel, tourism, and entertainment industries.
And SARS actually infected approximately 8000 people worldwide, and killed about 750 worldwide.
In comparison, in 2003 in the US alone, almost 43,000 people were killed in car accidents.
But that doesn't bring ratings (money).
If they are held liable for damages, the news media will stop playing Chicken Little and recklessly impacting businesses.