Mark Zuckerberg’s U-turn on fact-checking is craven—but correct

Apart from the million-dollar wristwatch, it had the look of a hostage video. On January 7th Mark Zuckerberg posted a clip to Facebook and Instagram in which he announced changes to his social networks’ content-moderation policies in response to what he called the “cultural tipping point” of Donald Trump’s election. There have been “too many mistakes and too much censorship”, he said, adding that Mr Trump’s return provides an “opportunity to restore free expression”. He also appointed Dana White, an ally of Mr Trump’s, to Meta’s board (as well as John Elkann, the boss of Exor, which part-owns The Economist’s parent company).