The purpose of those publications is to make sure they’re distributed as widely as possible to sell ads

Agree: For-profit journalism has screwed-up incentives. Not-for-profit journalism does tend to be different.

Personally I feel I manage to still stay informed, since anything of real importance will break through my block list anyway.

So you’re relying on those around you to keep you informed, despite blocking news on social media and not reading news yourself? Bold choice.