I don't know what you mean by "a super penalty". It's a mild penalty (the second mildest there is) applied algorithmically. It's been in place for over a year. We've posted about it more than once.

It's an attempt to strike a balance. There are vocal people who feel that HN has been overrun by NSA stories, and there are vocal people who feel that HN outrageously suppresses NSA stories. We try to treat both as legitimate branches of the community.