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That may well have been the initial intention but do you think it has actually worked?
A couple of clicks a day to the BBC should be enough to see large scale AB testing of click bait titles (even for more hard hitting articles) and the population of the front page with largely meaningless "stories" or entertainment with an ever decreasing amount of serious news or editorial.
Working in 'meeja' myself, i fully understand the need to provide content that an audience actually wants to maintain a profitable business but I believe that the BBC should try to maintain a higher editorial standard given it's a publicly funded organisation.
I don't think that's holier-than-thou or preachy. I'm certainly not advocating a world wide ban on fluff pieces; just asking that this particular organisation rise above them.
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Soul
@h2o
When the BBC started doing lighter-hearted stuff back in the 90s, it was in the context of a broader argument about how the news was too serious and depressing and that this was switching off younger viewers. Basically, they decided they would try to get younger people to watch/read the important stuff by tempting them in or at least leavening it with a bit of lighter fluff.
Okay, it may not be to everyone's taste, but this constant 'omg my tax dollars are being spent on sleb gossip' is a bit preachy and holier-than-thou. It's there for a reason, and that reason is the hope that the people who want to read sleb gossip might actually read some of those more important articles while they're on the site.