For me, this is all about us, and not so much about "what will others think?"

I am so glad to hear this. You wont believe how many people have been angry in the past that their friends coming to GAW think badly of us, and I agree its a very low-level consciousness.

how many anons are distracted by fake information, how that might impact the broader work, and how to stem the uptake of bad practices when it comes to applying trusted and solid Q-type techniques: due diligence, empirical evidence, critical thinking, emotional balance, etc.

These are good concerns to have and honestly, as digital soldiers its on all of us users not just us mods to ensure the community stays focused as much as possible. This can only be done by engaging with users on different controversial posts. Challenge people for their sources and for the logic they used. Try and find past Q posts that get unlocked by current news. Find connections to, say Durham filing, and old Q posts for instance. These kind of stuff can create a lot of engagement.

And always lead by example. However don't expect everyone to follow. You are right, we are having more and more mainstream folks coming to our site. This means digital soldiers are winning. But it also means the quality of our board will get diluted and eveyone should make a conscious effort to engage with these folks and teach them how to do research.

Infact, I would say, this post is a good example for that. This is the kind of post that gets people digging. If these kinds of posts get lost in new, then it takes away an opportunity for some who might have actually done some digging.

You also have to realise that a lot of folks are fatigued. The battle has gone on for too long and while we know the end is near we still dont know how far it is. Ideas to rejuvenate those who are losing hope always welcome.