Basically, if all I can read is a headline how can I consider it informative? A news headline has as much evidence as your average Tweet, and can be deeply incorrect through the use of clickbait.
I do use methods to get around paywalls, but knowing that some/most people won’t, it seems counter-informative to solely use the clickbait headline to keep people informed.
For actual investigative news: New York Times, Washington Post, Buzzfeed(I know right kinda crazy), Vox, and Al Jazeera.
Occasionally stuff pops up on other networks but they are the ones that consistently fund investigative journalists.
Edit: Washington Post will require vetting going forward. Amazon bought them a few years back an they have been going down since.