Umm... why is this front-page national news?

The New York Times has this story slotted in their online top position on the front page. Are you kidding me?

Exorcising a Phobia, One Stroke at a Time
By N. R. KLEINFIELD 24 minutes ago
Traumatized by a dunking in childhood, Attis Clopton was deathly afraid of water, so he confronted his fear by enrolling in a program of swimming lessons.

If this is the way news editors hope to expand their coverage into black American communities, by covering issues important in the lives of the people, I think they might need to rethink it a bit.

Cute feature, but NOT front-page news today...

"Black Man Swims, Overcomes Fears"
News at 10.