I am glad that I am not the only one. From the looks of it, Press section could be revamped in a day. EASILY. no shot.
Temp-ban spammers, with irrelevant links, and pin a thread with new guidelines for the board. Allow users to post links only from sites like coindesk etc. Assign a moderator for that board, and until then let a global mod handle it. Us users can report the crappy threads and clean it. It is very doable imo.
I totally agree with what you wrote, that board can be put in order in just one day if there is a real desire to do so - but instead locking is suggested as the only correct solution. The rules should be clearly set and anyone who does not follow them should bear the consequences.
The rule I would add is one thread per day/per user with an explicit note that news must be related to Bitcoin inclusive.
If our signature with the invitation to our Medium channel annoys you guys, we will drop it. However, it is not spam but a recomedation for interested folks of a space where we share news on a daily basis.
The signature is one thing, and the direct link you leave in each thread is something completely different - currently there are as many as 8 of them on the first page of the Press Board. If you already want to advertise your Medium, wouldn't it be better to add it to your existing signature, there are already links to FB, Twitter and Telegram? That way you get exposure throughout the forum, without annoying anyone by posting links.
In addition, I visited your Medium account and at least 50% of the articles have no direct connection to Bitcoin - so that link definitely violates the rules of the Press Board.