The standard excuse of major news corporations, when accused of featuring trivial headlines, is that they are merely reflecting what people want. They’re businesses, and as such, their survival requires a sensitivity to demand.
I kind of believed that, until I saw this headline this morning:
And then a few hours later, this:
Clearly, this story is popular because it was placed on the front page. It’s safe to say that there was no prior demand for news related to Billy Joel’s The Stranger.
I guess that’s the appeal of social news sites like digg; for all their shortcomings, at least they eliminate suspicious editorial decisions like this one.