So if a user subscribes to the paywall site, that article is "about paying"? The article's content is distinct from the method by which the publication chooses

So if a user subscribes to the paywall site, that article is "about paying"? The article's content is distinct from the method by which the publication chooses to earn revenue. A paywall article is "about paying" as much as an ad-ridden article is "about belly-fat ads." They're both designed to make money, only one shifts the cost to the end user. I'm all for putting a lock icon next to it in Google searches, or doing whatever's necessary to signal that it's paywalled, I guess, but don't blame the search engine for attempting to organize the world's information.