I actually don't understand the big fuss. Hackernoon was a publication on Medium. They asked writers for opt-in to republish content. Some writers were confused. Medium sent an email clarifying writers right. Writers can decide whether to give consent or not - all good.
The only problem I have is with the language Medium used: "moving content." If Medium is indeed the platform, publications should NOT have the ability to "move" content. They can delete their publication, but articles should remain on Medium and all existing links should redirect to the article. I believe this is the case, which means the language is deceptive.
If this is NOT the case, then the product has a big problem.