anon for this-
A600KiloBear-
Once you brought up Murdoch, I thought the columnist was Jack Newfield.
Once I saw that it was Mike Royko, it made sense.
Royko was only syndicated in NY for a relatively short time, but I enjoyed his column for years in an out-of-town paper.
He was fearless in poking fun at the Chicago establishment.
He had a self deprecating sense of humor, and his columns were written for everyman.
His columns covered pretty much any topic, usually based on current news and with a humorous and sometimes pointed perspective.