After all, this isn’t an academic journal, but basically a fun website based on an idiosyncratic column in an alternative-press weekly. While we all do our best to make sure the information provided is accurate, it’s a bit much to ask that every statement have a citation.
If I make statements based on my general knowledge about a subject, I often won’t bother to reference them. But if they are based on some controversial or esoteric research, I usually will provide a citation.
This is the crux of the matter, I think. Nobody’s actively checking qualifications; the main skill the PTB look at is the ability to write clearly and effectively and research the subject well enough that the resulting report isn’t obvious bullshit. I suspect Ed Zotti might engage is some fact checking, particularly with a new Guest Contributor, but the bulk of accuracy verification is left to the Teeming Millions who will surely spot a fraud sooner or later. And the system seems to work well enough, I’m not aware of any Staff Report that was a total cock-up and by and large the majority of issues with them tend to be comparatively minor quibbles about factual content, IME.
He does indeed. He has called me on a few items in my reports.
The Staff Reports are also available for review to the other members of the SDSAB before publication, so there is some cross-checking at this stage too.
This has led to some collaborations on reports between **Doug ** and me; I write on the birds and he writes on the bees. 
Not to speak for GFactor, but I might hazard a guess that he provides copious cites for the same reason I tend to… In the realm of legal writing, almost any substantive claim requires a citation, and the habit is hard to break.
That’s a big part of it. I also try to include whatever online cites I can find for future searchers, and I try to include some key cites for myself. As others have said, the “peer review” (in the comments forum) here can go on for a long time. If somebody has a question, I may need to check my sources again. That’s hard to do if I’ve forgotten what they were.
I actually consult many more sources than I cite. But a reference list that is too long makes Ed a bit testy. So my personal criteria is something like:
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then I try to include the source in my references.