> They can't, but they can, for example, ask for a fee to read the article. They don't deny you reading it, but they don't have to give it to you for free either.

Of course they can charge a fee. They should.

> Either you share your data, so they can make money to operate the site, or you don't, but then the content is not free.

No. My data is not a commodity exchange. The GDPR makes that VERY clear. I can not pay with my data. Full stop. There is money for that.