Murdoch is a symptom of that illness, not its root cause. The root cause is the Deep State (aka the “ruling class” if you’re not a fan of the term) for whom it is more convenient to have people bicker about bullshit issues that do not impact them instead of asking why real earnings have been flat for the last few decades while cost of shelter, education and healthcare has gone exponential. If not Murdoch it’d be someone else. Zuck and Pichai have absolutely zero scruples wrt promoting hyperpolarization on their platforms - anger drives engagement and clicks.