Nonsense? Why do you say that? Is it nonsense that a publication needs to pay its employees? Is it nonsense that non-ad driven revenue allows a publication to focus on quality material versus optimizing for clicks?
Most publications including the New York Times allow for a limited number of free article views before a paywall is imposed. That approach allows for casual viewers to get a feel for the content, without open access to all the material.
Maybe HN should ban paywalled sources.