Maybe if you zoom out really far. But they're not getting paid if you subscribe to Substack or the New York Times, at least not in a way that is more meaningful

Maybe if you zoom out really far. But they're not getting paid if you subscribe to Substack or the New York Times, at least not in a way that is more meaningful than investors getting paid when you buy an apple at the grocery store, or rent a hotel room, or pay your phone bill. What' the difference, and why draw the line at paying for news articles and not something else?