Earlier quoted context omitted.
That looks fantastic, I would actually read USA Today if this lean site sticks around. If they want to monetize, publishers should control their own generic ad inventory (like they used to in old pre internet days) and ask for opt-in if you want customization. Easy on paper but hard in reality.
Apparently, WashPo prefers a more coercive method: https://www.washingtonpost.com/gdpr-consent/ Either pay or sell yourself. A gamble they might lose if people just stop sharing and click Washpo articles, but a possible route if others follow suit. Meanwhile, NPR goes more hardcore than even USA Today: https://text.npr.org I wonder, does that mean EU users are just a nuisance costing traffic, or that all graphics are…
To wit (washpo):
"You consent to the use of cookies and tracking by us and third parties to provide you with personalized ads"
Where is the "No I don't. Just give me regular/random ads" button?
and,
"Premium EU subscription" "No on-site advertising or third-party ad tracking"
There's nothing specifically EU about that, in fact, it sounds like a good service to offer to all your readers. But still, there's a big difference between on-site advertising and third-party ad tracking, and that difference is at the heart of the GDPR. A half decent journalist could have figured that out. Maybe that's their real problem.
But most importantly, and frighteningly, instead of these two stunts being knee-jerk backlash reactions, maybe they're serious and most data-peddlers aren't shady figures in smoke-filled backrooms, but simply the fourth estate en large.