Publishers already get micropayments from you when you visit their site - just not from you directly, but from advertisers.

The same incentives for click-bait and low-quality journalism will exist in a world with reader-driven micropayments.

The NYT now has 1/3 of their top area dedicated to "lifestyle" (what's going on on Tiktok) and "opinion" sections - both of which bring in tons of clicks.