On comments: they could solve a shitload of the complaints about comments by just adding meta-votes, like those on Slashdot, and letting individual users define their own filters for what they do and don't want to see. Automating and letting the community manage itself would be so much more efficient and fair than relying on mods, or the extremely vague and unhelpful generic vote button.
Sites classified as "general news" (ordered by frequency in the front-page archive): nytimes.com, bbc.com, bbc.co.uk, theguardian.com, washingtonpost.com, reuters.com, npr.org, cnn.com, slate.com, vice.com, latimes.com, cnet.com, yahoo.com, sfgate.com, cbc.ca, cnbc.com, guardian.co.uk, bits.blogs.nytimes.com, vox.com, salon.com, time.com, nymag.com, telegraph.co.uk, boston.com, newsweek.com, chronicle.com, msn.com, axios.com, news.com.com, propublica.org, independent.co.uk, timesonline.co.uk, mercurynews.com, theglobeandmail.com, pbs.org, theintercept.com, usatoday.com, buzzfeednews.com, spiegel.de, rollingstone.com, thestandard.com, go.com, smh.com.au, cbsnews.com, abc.net.au, nbcnews.com, seattletimes.com, aljazeera.com, bloombergview.com, motherjones.com, firstlook.org, thehill.com, apnews.com, informationweek.com, news.com, thedailybeast.com, huffingtonpost.com, theage.com.au, csmonitor.com, nwsource.com, japantimes.co.jp, thestar.com, bostonglobe.com, dw.com, indiatimes.com, nypost.com, ap.org, chicagotribune.com, sfchronicle.com, dailymail.co.uk, news.com.au, foxnews.com, kqed.org, theatlanticwire.com, scmp.com, texasmonthly.com, wbur.org, yahoo.net, swissinfo.ch, nationalpost.com, spectator.co.uk, sfweekly.com, detroitnews.com, theweek.com, nzherald.co.nz, washingtonexaminer.com, aljazeera.net, cbslocal.com, nltimes.nl, weeklystandard.com, ctvnews.ca, miamiherald.com, nydailynews.com, thetimes.co.uk, dallasnews.com, startribune.com, bostonherald.com, euronews.com, kuow.org, themorningnews.org, upi.com, globalnews.ca, guardiannews.com, theherald.com.au, thesun.co.uk, belfasttelegraph.co.uk, houstonchronicle.com, ibtimes.co.uk, koreaherald.com, metro.co.uk, mirror.co.uk, seattleweekly.com, standard.co.uk, dailyherald.com, huffingtonpost.co.uk, huffingtonpost.com.au, huffpost.com, inquirer.com, ktvu.com, ocweekly.com, sundayherald.com, theweek.co.uk, wpri.com, wtsp.com, americanchronicle.com, annarborchronicle.com, augustachronicle.com, catholicherald.co.uk, dukechronicle.com, heraldsun.com.au, katu.com, kdvr.com, kfor.com, ktla.com, myfox8.com, myfoxdc.com, myfoxny.com, news-herald.com, news.google.ca, pressherald.com, thechronicleherald.ca, timesherald.com, wttw.com, wtvr.com, wunc.org, wvgazette.com.
This is based on downloading all archived HN front pages from 2007-02-20 through 2023-06-21 and analysing stories by title, site, votes, comments, and submitter.
(I generally use 2009 as a representative "early year" as HN was sorting things out and evolving rapidly in 2007 & 2008.)
By year:
2007 418
2008 438
2009 407
2010 290
2011 271
2012 222
2013 224
2014 259
2015 329
2016 442
2017 426
2018 476
2019 418
2020 251
2021 194
2022 167
2023 95
Sites: bloomberg.com, wsj.com, economist.com, venturebeat.com, businessweek.com, businessinsider.com, fastcompany.com, inc.com, hbr.org, ft.com, alleyinsider.com, forbes.com, fortune.com, nikkei.com, marketwatch.com, xconomy.com, entrepreneur.com, portfolio.com, business2.com, cio.com, bizjournals.com, bloombergquint.com, insidefacebook.com, nasdaq.com, fool.com, financialpost.com, prnewswire.com, adweek.com, morningstar.com, americanbanker.com, businessinsider.com.au, industryweek.com, bankertimes.com, businessinsider.co.za, businessinsider.de, businessinsider.fr, forbesindia.com
As above, these are ordered by overall frequency within the FP archive.