The New York Times = Watchdog against SHADY SEO practices
 

Many specialty SEO or Internet venture blogs have long covered shady SEO practices like buying links and other shenanigans. The effect on Google has been erratic--for every Techcrunch expose (think Izea), you have dozens that that go unnoticed. The New York Times changed all that.

Here's a good look at how the NYT is changing the SEO 'rules enforcement' landscape http://www.growmap.com/nyt-google-bulldog/