[tyler-b]

I think the simple answer is that Valleywag's primary domain is now valleywag.gawker.com instead of valleywag.com. Here's a screenshot from the same tool that shows the new primary domain trending upwards: http://i.imgur.com/dLpcEZP.png

[minimaxir]

This is correct. In fact, this is the expected behavior for a website which has changed domains; it means that people who used to visit the old domain are now correctly visiting the new one.

The submission receiving 8 points is an instance of people on HN upvoting based solely on the headline itself, and that's unfortunate.