I don't see how discussion of current events would harm the community. Frankly we haven't got enough to talk about. If you're not interested, don't click.
If you're not interested, don't click.
This works only to some extent, otherwise throwing all of the Internet in one big cauldron and stirring a bit would make no difference. The value of a forum is in the selection of its conversations, and while any given choice may be insignificant, that doesn't argue for some particular way of resolving it, and inability to make such determinations may well add up to accumulated loss in quality.
A mundane cause for a surprising result. Consider this unconfirmed for now, however unsurprising it sounds.
Source: Science/AAAS