I mean if they're finding sources through the comment and then corroborating their stories via actual interviews, it's completely fine practice. As long as what's printed is corroborated and cross-referenced I don't see a problem.
If they go and publish "According to hackernews user davycro ..." _then_ there's a problem.
If they go and publish "According to hackernews user davycro ..." _then_ there's a problem.