Mark Zuckerberg’s fact-check change is going to implode the evil industry

The latest tweak isn’t just another data point in shifting corporate allegiances.

Meta’s about-face on fact-checks, announced by founder Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, isn’t just another example of corporations tweaking policy to curry favor with President-elect Donald Trump — it’s a complete capitulation and threatens the entire censorship economy.

Fact-checking isn’t just partisan orthodoxy disguised as public service; it’s mighty good business. Over the decades, what began as a cottage industry for people looking up internet serial killer and werewolf rumors grew into Democratic Party newspapers dinging congressmen and presidents before ballooning into a global, multimillion-dollar industry that suppressed everything from ridiculous Facebook memes to legitimate political discourse.