Publishers have the right to publish whatever content they think will attract an audience and have it monetized by advertising from advertisers that want to be seen by that audience. Full stop. What is lost is that, when evaluating impressions is done poorly, it can punish publishers who have invested time, money, and effort into creating content.
When we tell our programmatic teams to “Just get more revenue, I don’t need to know how,” we’re poisoning our own well as publishers. You flood the market, you train buyers to pay less, you chase every possible dollar, you strip away your own leverage, and (at some point) you dig yourself a hole so deep you can’t dig your way out.
Shareholders want growth at all costs, quarter after quarter. That’s why you see the clutter, the clickbait, the short-term revenue plays. No one thinks this is good for the audience, but no one cares. The only story Wall Street wants to hear is growth.