I think we’re in general agreement, except I would simply say those trusted sources establish themselves organically by consistently demonstrating quality work (again, see el gato’s Note) rather than some entity appointing them, which is what occurs when information is freely available. We saw that with the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of data warriors who rose to the challenge over the past three years and spent countless unpaid hours participating in this collaborative labor of love in pursuit of truth.

The cream always rises to the top as long as there aren’t artificial forces pressing it down and pouring spoiled milk on top.