Having to pay for privacy

If you do not consent, do not enter. It's very simple.

Consent is freely given. You can choose to agree or not. It isn't an employee/employer relationship or some imbalance of power where you agree under duress. There is no undue pressure. To even hint that there is, is absurd.

If you want to read the news on a certain site for free, you agree to the terms. Otherwise, you don't.

Very clear, very simple.

Nope. Didn't miss that at all.

I think that the proviso that you have an option to pay in order to access the services should you wish not to abide by their terms is a fair and reasonable alternative.

The ability to access services is still there. It just costs something. The ability to consent is still there.

Your view and my view on whether it's fair and reasonable is entirely irrelevant.

Here's what the GDPR recital says;

"When assessing whether consent is freely given, utmost account shall be taken of whether, inter alia, the performance of a contract, including the provision of a service, is conditional on consent to the processing of personal data that is not necessary for the performance of that contract."

[my bolding for emphasis]

IANAL, but this really appears to contradict the GDPR approach of consent not being conditional.

But not without paying, which raises the question as to whether consent was freely given;

"In the EDPB’s Opinion 08/2024, the board makes it clear: if users feel compelled to consent because the alternative (paying for the service) is not feasible or reasonable, then consent is not truly “freely given.”"