But also, journalists, when you’re writing about a scientific paper, include a link to it. Yes, even if it’s paywalled. And this goes doubly/triply for university press offices. What else is the point of what you’re doing??

There's a reason for it! Linking specific papers can be interpreted as advertising that specific paper or its writer. And in a case when the article is based only on the writer's interview, linking the paper can be viewed as personal gain/hype for the writer, which is not the point of journalism