Nope, it's just explaining there's a demand for non-grimdark work that Compelling Science Fiction's audience can compose of. There's no protection involved. Magazines select works to sell altogether as a product. If CSF's brand is non-grimdark, hard scifi, and they are successful at selling the product that is non-grimdark, hard scifi, then there's an audience interested in buying their work.

I'm not really sure where you get the protecting clause from, or intent. It's just market forces.