I don't get why news sites don't have a "coin slot" where I can insert a few quarters if I like an article and get a pass to read that day's edition.
Maybe if someone did it as a layer on top of news sites (like Google/FB login)... Maybe ...
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Who says you have to create a new account on every site? A cookie set after the payment processor has completed is all you need.
Especially with a tech-ninded crowd, relying on the persistence of cookies is completely unworkable because of the large percentage of users with extensions that block or wipe cookies eagerly.
"Coins" would be a manual process. If something is clickbaity, then you don't have to insert a coin.