To wit (washpo):
"You consent to the use of cookies and tracking by us and third parties to provide you with personalized ads"
Where is the "No I don't. Just give me regular/random ads" button?
and,
"Premium EU subscription" "No on-site advertising or third-party ad tracking"
There's nothing specifically EU about that, in fact, it sounds like a good service to offer to all your readers. But still, there's a big difference between on-site advertising and third-party ad tracking, and that difference is at the heart of the GDPR. A half decent journalist could have figured that out. Maybe that's their real problem.
But most importantly, and frighteningly, instead of these two stunts being knee-jerk backlash reactions, maybe they're serious and most data-peddlers aren't shady figures in smoke-filled backrooms, but simply the fourth estate en large.
Also, I wonder how much of Washington Post and NPR's revenue comes from Europeans. It might not even make sense for them to spend resources to be more precise in their compliance.
What is your preferred third option for content that costs money to make?
Either pay or sell yourself.
A gamble they might lose if people just stop sharing and click Washpo articles, but a possible route if others follow suit.
Meanwhile, NPR goes more hardcore than even USA Today: https://text.npr.org
I wonder, does that mean EU users are just a nuisance costing traffic, or that all graphics are tracking visitors?