The "independent" YouTube journalists seem to be doing quite well with YouTube ads and Patreon. Although it seems like most of these people are on the fringe.
I'd also argue that they aren't actually reporting the news. They are repackaging reporting someone else has already done -- and those people, doing the reporting, are usually the ones struggling economically.
the ones i watch also seem like they are all working so hard that they're constantly burning out
Spot-on. That treadmill keeps moving faster and faster and eventually everyone falls off.
similar to building your company on top of someone else's platform.