allow me to buy one issue, or one story or 50 tokens or something.
But between two papers, one national broadcaster that costs me n x $100, Netflix, Spotify, supporting Amnesty and Médecins Sans Frontières, my family and my church there isn't room for everyone who want me to subscribe.
The problem with that idea is:
1) it doesn't result in a predictable revenue stream (required for good investigative journalism), and...
2) it incentives click-bait and outrage-bait more than anything else.
Yes. And as I wrote above I don't expect anyone to get rich from it if done according to how I thought it would work.
As for avoiding click bait, what blendle did was to offer refunds. I think they later reversed that policy, and I think that was the point I gave them up (also Linux magazines and other stuff I wanted to read never showed up).
Still, for someone wanting to be running a decent company, not a unicorn factory I think there is a niche:
I actively read very much, even from journalists I deeply disagree with, and I'd rather spend $2 extra a day on good writing than coffe (for instance).