> The individual posting the article may not be the owner of the code base
Good point, I didn't consider that.
The point of view I'm coming from is that while it's impossible to put all possible information in a README (and such level of detail would probably make it even less readable, like Whitehead and Russel's Principia Mathematica) - there are some things that are reasonable to expect on any kind of public repository (I assume it's a public repository because of the README's public-facing style - "Welcome to the 4coder code base. [...] In this readme you will find: [...]"), such as "what is the purpose of this program".
I know nobody owes anything to nobody, and such criticism might be seen as rude - since we're basically criticizing volunteers - but consider the fact that feedback is a major part of how we figure out our mistakes. If someone is posting their work online, it would be reasonable to assume that they care about their work and want to make it better. Without (constructive) criticism, they would never receive the feedback required for improving. Praise is pleasant and should be given when it's due, but criticism is also useful information.
Still, the argument is the same - a person is posting an article on a news site for the sole purpose of other people seeing (consuming) it.
I consider it basic decency to create a good presentation when you're showing something in people's news feed.