I think it's pretty safe to assume Valleywag is banned; it was in the original banned site list, and I haven't seen a story from them here in ages. Good riddance.
Here's my suggestion: if you find a particularly interesting story on Valleywag, first consider that it may not be interesting. After all, it's captured the attention of Valleywag. But if you can't shake the feeling that there's something really worth talking about that simply has the misfortune of being oozed out of Valleywag's kontent cloaca, try writing a short blog post of your own, linking to the Valleywag story.
Your blog certainly won't be banned here. I know that sounds like linkjacking, but it's actually a good thing in this case. I don't pretend to understand Brannigan's Law; I only enforce it.
