I think you're setting the bar too high for tech journalists, lets aim for them knowing the difference between "md5" and "md5crypt" first.

But no, I don't think it is at all obvious why LinkedIn used unsalted SHA1.

LinkedIn went through an IPO, which implies that a number of companies have audited them from head to tail several times along the way.

If the commodity you buy is millions of user accounts, shouldn't you, as investor, at least check that there was a lock on the door to the warehouse ?