The last thing I need is such a stream of information in my new tab page. I would never get anything done. Thank the Lord for about:blank
I generally agree - a new tab should, for the most part, be distraction-free.
However, with some cleverness, you can add content to the new tab page that adds value - e.g. AnkiTab (https://github.com/corollari/ankiTab) to help you review your decks. Sure, it's a minor distraction, but it's time-bounded (unlike a news feed), and theoretically it's a net gain if your decks contain knowledge that's genuinely useful to you.