You're right, and that's an important point. The message that "they do it for free" may be propaganda itself. We don't know that to be true, so it's wrong to as

You're right, and that's an important point. The message that "they do it for free" may be propaganda itself. We don't know that to be true, so it's wrong to assert that any given mod either is not or is being paid, short of evidence indicating the latter. I don't know how you would prove the former, particularly given the existence of digital coins. Bitcoin seems perfect for this along with a host of other things for which secret payment might be useful. Come to think of it, that may make a pretty good case for making moderation transparent. You can't ever be sure someone isn't being paid to influence the conversation, and therefore users deserve to be able to review what gets removed.