Sex sells... but does death?

I always wondered how effective the use of graphic material is in the news.
Take, for example, the recent murder of Libyan dictator Muammuar Gaddafi.
Since his death on Oct. 20, social media sites have been purging stills and videos showing moments just after his death where anti-Gaddafi fighters rallied around his dead body.
Cell phone videos of the slain general’s body have circulated also circulated on different news stations, like BBC.

Sure, I know this is a pivotal moment in the history of Libya and the things he did during his reign were atrocious. But why do news sources air footage like this?
Does death sell as well as sex?
I guess the shock and curiosity factor is more likely to draw in larger audiences.
And I guess its “more acceptable” for someone like Gaddafi’s death to be shown worldwide, but what about someone like Nick Berg?
If you don’t remember Berg, he was the businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion and was later beheaded by Islamic fighters.
While many news stations aired the footage of Berg’s decapitation, I appreciated ABC’s way of informing the country about this execution.
You can watch it by clicking here.
I might be one of those kind-of sick, desensitized from TV youth, but I know a lot of people aren’t. And to me, videos like this, aren’t meant for TV.

What do you guys think?