Op, this is a very good and educative post.
Agreed. And holy crap, OP has 66 post and 191 merits--that's quite a ratio there.
I've always though it's unfortunate that reporting posts is made to be such a big deal on this forum, but I have to concede that it's important. There's just too much garbage, and it isn't just shitposts to worry about. I know a lot of older members are doing a lot of reporting, but it's good to get newer members involved with reporting posts that violate rules or otherwise don't belong--so nice job, OP. I'll refrain from giving you merits for this since you've earned quite a few already, but I'll put you on my watch list of members who might be deserving of more.
I think most times the reason why reports aren't handled or are not handled quickly is because the reporter themselves didn't go about it the right way.
Could be. I've been reporting posts for a few years now, but I'm not sure I've followed all the recommendations OP provided here. I've kind of been doing everything off the cuff, so to speak.