This is sort of the crux of the problem though. Top ten kitten lists of the kind Buzzfeed specializes in, are a much better deal in terms of eyeballs/dollar although they have a much lower social utility than say, a well reported piece about the war in Syria or the spread of Ebola.

The NYT and the Guardian are trying a bunch of different approaches to improve their income. Honestly, a world where even a world class newspaper like the NYT struggles to be profitable is a scary place.