Does an online newspaper really want to know readers' favs?

Check out the NYT article on newspapers using advanced technology to see what people are reading online. This is not new, but evidently the Times thought it was good to review this practice.

It says, "Editors at The Journal, like those at other large newspapers, follow the Web traffic metrics closely. The paper’s top editors begin their morning news meetings with a rundown of data points, including the most popular search terms on WSJ.com, which articles are generating the most traffic and what posts are generating buzz on Twitter. At The Washington Post, a television screen with an array of data — the number of unique visitors to washingtonpost.com, how many articles those visitors view and where on the Web those visitors came from — is on display for the entire newsroom."

My question is: What happens when you find out your readers are not interested in the serious matters you were covering - they would rather see what the local celeb is up to than see how the November elections are stacking up. The NYT has the luxury of readers interested in everything, so this helps a broad approach. However, a smaller newspaper, such as the AJC in Atlanta, will focus on what the readers are looking for - and it appears to be unusual local stories, the crime scene and celebs. This is why I need an online newspaper now, so I can read the NYT to get some important news of the day that affects the country - like top notch financial news. If I want celebs, I will go to Huff Post for that.