I think reducing the opaqueness of the current system as described would eliminate the issue raised in this thread, I also think a flag as spam versus approval by moderator system for comments would be better as the current method is a bit Orwellian. It might save work too, hard to say in the spam wars.
Edit: didn’t see the second page of comments. I won’t blanket dismiss the content on the front page as I often find interesting posts, however I will add I am not a fan of the new layout. The old design was aged but efficient in presenting information quickly and chronologically- The new design requires more time and attention to see what is new and separating content from advertisement. Maybe this provides more fiscal opportunity for Core, but the site has definitely fallen off my regular “surfing” (makes me sound ancient) rounds on a break between work.