I think they are so disgusted with the system, they're trying to say "fuck it all" and grab some cash and hopefully hasten the crash and burn of the "modern media".
That was the impression I got as well - after all this has all the hallmarks of some Bennington grad's "social experiment" - but they went about it in the worst way possible. Rather than say satire or even their own reportage, they simply lied and raked in the dough.
Unfortunately the media isn't going anywhere. NYT, who got it so wrong when it mattered the most, added 41k net subs in the week following the election
The people reading and commenting on their articles aren't doing anything more than reinforcing their current beliefs.