Here is my comment. If you don't dig it, don't read it! Fucking DUH. It's your life. It's your time. Choose it how you spend to choose it, that reflects on YOU, not me.
Muppets.
Muppets.
But from another users POV, even your posts can be seen as trolling and flame bait; you voice your opinion harshly without contributing to the overall discussion.
I mean, if you included the comments that led up to your outburst, you were just as much trolling as I was when I commented about you being down-modded.
Let me make it clear that, aggregated news sites - like you said - encourage trolls, and keep independent new ideas low on the upcoming/new stories. But this is not because trolls down-mod independent thinking, it's just that there is too many trolls UP-modding noise. The trolls themselves don't actively down-mod good/independent ideas.
So we are all left with what you call the "Cory Doctorow Problem".
But any comment (and I stress comment) thats down-modded below a certain point is usually spam, trolling or flamebait anyway, and I can usually rest assured skimming or skipping entirely that post because the crowd have deemed that post not worth my time.
Each individual has their own "Cory Doctorow Problem", as in your case; (many) other comments which you have made have interesting opinion and/or contain food for thought - that contribute to the discussion - are not down-modded (albeit, not up-modded either as if an opinion is genuinely independent not many people agree with it at that point).
As you said, Aggregated news sites get worse over time.
In my opinion, the easiest way to fix them is to create a private, invite only aggregated news site, with respected members of a community. If you keep the community the right size, the members will filter out trolls, and completely (as humanly possible), eradicate most noise.
I've detracted from my main point though, so I'll stop typing now.