This was my initial reaction as well, but I think that the works in question have very little real value. They seem to mostly be news articles and photographs,

This was my initial reaction as well, but I think that the works in question have very little real value. They seem to mostly be news articles and photographs, both of which are presumably created in large quantities by the newspapers. My guess is that the newspapers didn't really sign on to prevent people from using their works, they just saw a way to monetize something they already own and took it.