But the real answer here is that advertising corrupts. Ads are almost universally lies, so it's a short step to the unethical actions we see Facebook and Google taking in order to get their ads in front of more people, and get people to buy more that's advertised.
And it's not like we haven't seen this before. It's well known that newspapers would not exactly censor news that was unkind to advertisers, they'd merely put it below the fold, or on page 10, or reframe the news with a softening headline.
I think in 2021, we can agree that advertising sucks, and moreover, it corrupts the media that carry it.
If you know somebody shells out $189 a year for a subscription to The Economist you know they've got more money to spend, e.g., they are qualified customers. "Free" OTA Television, on the other hand, is crammed with ads for personal injury lawyers, Medicare advantage, and other ways to spend other people's money because the people watching don't have any of their own money to spend.
"Spillin' Ace on my sick J's"