You are correct, but from my (admittedly outsider) perspective, they are suffering from an identity crisis. They want to be a strong community where meaningful discussion takes place and drives real action. But their branding is still, "Hey, we're the front page of the internet!", which in practical terms means people go there for time-wasting entertainment.

I feel that they need to make a choice of being the "home page" for everyone vs. a meaningful community. I do not see one site serving both needs, as the branding, culture, and even tools needed to manage those two goals just don't match up with each other.