Are Gold DVDs/CDs Really Better?

There was recently a discussion on Flickr regarding reliability of DVDs as archival media. I stated that I had heard that media that has a gold reflective layer (which is what I use) were supposedly more stable, but I wasn't sure if it was hype or truth, so I looked it up. Below is a compilation of the interesting articles, albeit short, I found online. Not all are related to the reliability of gold reflective layers, but they're interesting, nonetheless.

Some of the assumptions I had made were somewhat verified.

Answers to your questions about CD/DVD archival capacity and testing
From the story...

Well-known brand names are usually not an indication that a disc is archival grade. Many of these companies buy media from several sources and often buy budget media when a manufacturer has an oversupply, and then put their brand name on it. For example, you will often see the HP name on media, but HP does not own or operate any media manufacturing facilities.

Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology - Stability Comparison of Recordable Optical Discs—A Study of Error Rates in Harsh Conditions PDF

"DVD Rot"

Anecdotal Disc Rot

Disc Rot in Pictures, PDO commercial pressing incident

CDs and DVDs not so immortal after all