If you pay for a service, buy an app, etc… there is more transparency. If an app, game or social media platform is “free”, then YOU’RE the product. Perhaps this is in favor of paywalls and paid news services (not free) in order to get truly more accurate or factual or honest news, compared to free news sites which monetize off Google Adsense. Or in other words:

Do not trust any free and open news agency as long as their money is derived from advertising, because the hidden implicit bias is to create the most bombastic news articles to scare or FOMO you into clicking the articles and clicking the advertisements.