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They might be running some automated A/B testing to find the most effective headline. Currently the headline is for me "Vast Effort by F.D.A. Spied on E-Mails of Its Own Scientists", while the page title is still the "F.D.A. Surveillance of Scientists Spread to Outside Critics".

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Curious. Disappointing if they really are doing A/B testing! Those headlines all have significantly different connotations, so it would seriously lower my opinion of the NYTimes' journalism if they're choosing them based on linkbait potential, and not taking into account accuracy.

They might be doing A/B testing and SEO optimization as described for HuffPo here:

http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/07/08/transfer-of-value/

Headlines were bait before there were hyperlinks. Nothing new there—you're just seeing the process for the first time. Also, this doesn't take away from the substance of a very well-reported article.

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