I don't know what ChatGPT uses to browse web but it wouldn't surprise me if it repeated stuff from those paid articles because it uses wget or something similar that doesn't support js and therefore the paywalls weren't effective.
If they simply put all their content behind a paywall entirely and effectively then this would be a non-issue.
If ChatGPT is getting this content it's literally because they allow it.
There's nothing contradictory about this? Plenty of companies give free access to journalist/reviewers/influencers, with the hope that they'd draw in paying customers. Wanting to only give free access to certain people isn't "want to have their cake and eat it to". It's standard business practice and well within the rights of publishers/rights holders to do.
They don't want ChatGPT to do certain things after accessing it and they don't prevent access by ChatGPT. They don't mind if ChatGPT accesses it.