The user experience on the web has deteriorated a lot over the years, in large part due to the way the advertising networks have been allowed to operate. They push bloated, annoying, and sometimes invasive code onto our machines. So I don’t blame users who use ad/tracker blockers at all.

The news organizations that deploy this are in a tough position, with revenue shrinking elsewhere. But I agree with you that this is not a good solution either for them or their customers.

People say they want in-depth, serious journalism. Often, however, what they click on or buy is tabloid trash. We all have work to do on this.