What’s the economic model for hacker news commenters?

Yes

I tend to pay for quality content, yes.

Somehow, TV and newspapers survived and thrived on non- targeted, not-filthy ads for decades.

I'd have little problem with static ads in webpages that looked like the ones in magazines I grew up with.

Yes, involving a third party with interests contrary to the producer or consumer of the material just adds poor incentives that inevitably lead to poor outcomes.

Is it our job to figure out someone else’s business model?

Who needs more Internet content?