That said, I do think that HN submissions should have a public moderation log / title edit history. But, HN has been very reluctant to add features because idk why.
The fact that you're (rightfully) questioning that, is the crux of the issue. Without an editorial note, it causes confusion and suspicion even when neither are warranted.
HN might be my favorite agg site on the web. I appreciate that I can read non-corporate blogs on here. So, I don't want to sound like I'm hammering this point too hard. But clearly there's a better way to editorialize? Maybe not. I don't have to make difficult moderation decisions so perhaps it's easy to say what they must change.