Are you writing an essay, or are you writing a report?

If it is the former, then "History of HN" and "Introduction to HN" would make terrible topics for an essay.

My understanding is that most teachers look for your ability to persuade, typically using a standard five-paragraph essay format. The key to this is selecting a good thesis. Typically, I prefer to select a thesis that reflects the opposite of my personal viewpoint (e.g. if I believe that students should spend more time on Facebook, then I typically like to write essays arguing why students should spend less time on Facebook). The reason I do this is two-fold. First, by researching the opposing opinion, it helps me formulate how I would actually argue against it if I ever needed to in a real-world situation. Second, because I believe the opposite of the thesis in my essay, I'll always remember to include remarks acknowledging the viewpoint opposite the thesis, which makes the argument more palatable for the reader. ("Oh, hey, at least he considered my side.")

In particular, facts make for a terrible thesis, because there's no reason to argue the other side. A good thesis considers an issue that can be argued both ways.

How a single news subject can cause mass hysteria and obsession, even in a community of highly educated/successful individuals such as HN.

See: Snowden, Bitcoin, etc.

One thing I find fascinating about discussion here versus many other places is the hacker mindset that drives so many of the discussion here.

I would characterize it as a combination of nitpickiness, the need to articulate the "Right Answer"[1], and of course a desire to show off one's knowledge, that often results in interesting discussions full of counterpoints and analysis, but also can lead to flame wars full of righteous fury and petty snark.

1: e.g. http://xkcd.com/386/

Well personally, I enjoy the non-industry links the most, such as curiosities from wikipedia, youtube or elsewhere. I also appreciate the political dialogues, such as when Snowden's press release from Hong Kong was linked here before any real news agency picked up on it. So I think a segment spotlighting how the datum shared here goes well and beyond tips for hacking life would be nicely representative.