You might be keying on the absence of any advertising whatsoever. So many media sites are so bogged down by advertising that it would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

Beyond that, it does have good fundamental design. Hierarchy of typography is simple and clear, they font used for the article copy is legible and sized nicely. And, because of he lack of advertisements and attempts to pull you further into the site, there's enough white space to give it a more relaxed feeling.

If you want to learn the fundamentals of design, pick up the Non-Designers Design Book. Quick read with great explanations of the core principles of good information design.