IMO it's simply because it gets clicks. People love to see the issues they care about being featured, and this is a issue that is important to a lot of people.
It's because they do. The NYT loathes the average American. They get a hard-on when talking about 'deaths of dispair' in 'flyover countries'. Makes sense considering who owns it.
Oh, please. This is such a dismissive, bad faith statement it should be deleted. Nobody at the NYT "loathes" the "average" American. They do not get sexually aroused when reporting tragedy. Be a better person.