The only news we need now is the news of bitcoin adoption by the governments through a legal framework which will pave the way for merchants to accept it with ease. That's what we need now!
I agree with you, adoption is much more important and the news is certainly a determinant of cryptocurrency growth, especially in terms of expanding Bitcoin adoption. The key is in the growth of Bitcoin adoption, so for other cryptocurrencies it can have an overall good impact.
Apart from that, news about things concerning Bitcoin are often filtered by the mainstream media when they are against the wishes of Bitcoin. This has an impact on the assumption that adoption is often a barrier. Neutral media is more about what prospects want readers. Of course this is based on crypto growth conditions which have a positive impact on news receivers.
Therefore, news surrounding adoption becomes a major point in terms of goodness for altcoins.