It doesn't work because there is no Google cache entry for that page. They've instructed Google not to cache it. > <meta data-rh="true" name="robots" content="

It doesn't work because there is no Google cache entry for that page. They've instructed Google not to cache it. > <meta data-rh="true" name="robots" content="noarchive, max-image-preview:large"/> So, OP must be using some other means to retrieve the page. In the case of NY Times, they're likely just grabbing the non-archived version and performing an operation similar to 12ft ladder. Google cache fetching seems like it might be an effective strategy for a site like Washington Post that have extremely effective paywall enforcement (till your turn off JS), but also allow Google cache.