It's not "true and the uncontroversial truth". It's a violation of the design and spirit behind the HTTP protocol. It's also a violation of social customs we're used to in meatspace - if you give me a magazine for free, you have no grounds to expect me to look at the ads inside, instead of tearing them out without looking and reading the content I'm interested in.

This expectation that "you pay for content by looking at ads included" is a unilateral decision made by publishers who embed ads, and pushed by the advertising industry. We have every moral right to refuse looking at ads. And if you demand payment for the value you provide, do it the honest way: demand up-front. HTTP protocol has provisions for that too.