Appeasing the Google Gods By Howard Kurtz I can no longer file a story in our computer system without filling out a box, a small gray square that may well determine the future of serious journalism.

The box is supposed to contain words and phrases that will help me reel you in. Search has become a journalistic obsession on the Web, and with good reason. Most people don't read publications online, patiently turning from national news to Metro to Style to the sports section. They hunt for subjects, and people, in which they're interested.

Our mission -- and we have no choice but to accept it -- is to grab some of that traffic that could otherwise end up at hundreds of other places, even blogs riffing off the reporting that your own publication has done. If you appease the Google gods with the right keywords, you are blessed with more readers. So carried to a hypothetical extreme, an ideal headline would be, "Sarah Palin rips non-Muslim Obama over mosque while Lady Gaga remains silent."

Every newsroom in the country grapples with these questions, and The Washington Post is no exception."There's news we know people should read--because it's important and originates with our reporting--and that's our primary function," says Katharine Zaleski, The Post's executive producer and head of digital news products. "But we also have to be very aware of what people are searching for out there and want more information on...... If we're not doing that, we're not doing our jobs."

In a recent interview, Politico Editor-in-Chief John Harris said he tries to serve the site's "core audience" rather than "chasing a huge number...I'm not expecting a reporter who covers an essential policy subject or covers lobbying in Washington to be among our huge traffic drivers."
Read more...

 Mayor Daley, shown with his wife, Maggie, and son, Patrick, kept his remarks brief when he announced Tuesday that he would not seek a seventh term in office. Daley, the nation's longest-serving big-city mayor, is retiring. Read Opinion     

 The End of Chicago's Daley DynastyRead Article    

  Relatives with blood on their handsRobert Fisk: Women who found refuge in Hina Jilani's shelter died later at the hands of their families.Read Article     

 4 Reasons Lehman FailedLooking at what went wrong leading up to the bank's failure, which pushed the financial system into chaos and the U.S. further into recessionRead Article     

 Obama's Proposals Unlikely to Pass SoonCongress is unlikely to quickly pass Obama's latest proposals to jump-start the economy, reflecting the president's weakened political position. Read Article   

 Frank slams foe's 'Hitler' remarkRep. Barney Frank assailed his primary opponent in debate for comparing Obama to Hitler.Read Article      

 Hillary Clinton condemns 9/11 Koran burning A Florida church's threat to burn copies of the Koran to mark the September 11 attacks called "disrespectful" and "disgraceful" by Secretary of State.  Read Article     

  Bloomberg Defends Right to Burn QuranNew York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended a Florida pastor's right to burn copies of the Quran during a public demonstration on the ninth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.Read Article     

 Neo-nationalism threatens Europe       Stewart Motha:Giving way to nationalist groups from Scotland, the Basque country or Flanders would only highlight old differences Read Opinion