It’s big news that Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Threads and Instagram, is dropping its fact-checking program and instigating a system in which the public fact-checks itself. What has happened to the Elon Musk-owned X, formerly Twitter (it’s now overrun with misinformation and increasingly dominated by rightwing conspiracies), is the expected outcome at Meta. Blatant lies and misinformation will be the rage.

Less censorship is the purported reason for changing, but the real reason is that fact-checking is expensive and difficult to do well. Meta wants out of that responsibility, and Trump’s ascendance to power is their ticket.

Without a doubt, discerning truth from fiction under Trump’s second term will be harder than ever. He’s already filling the airwaves with nonsensical gibberish. One thing the public should know by now: Trump exaggerates the benefits of anything he does, and berates as “fake news” any criticism of him. If you’re interested in the truth, use that as a guide.

Angelo Lynn