You're right that the "low-end news" market probably can't afford to do any substantial quality control. But in the high end segment of the market, it's more im

You're right that the "low-end news" market probably can't afford to do any substantial quality control. But in the high end segment of the market, it's more important than ever. Edward Snowden's journalist/organisation selection was not arbitrary. It's hyperbolic to say that the business case for fact checking is dying, as that suggests that the writing is on the wall and Der Spiegel & friends will soon be moving to a clickbait model. I think a better assessment is that the market for fact checked articles can only support a certain number of players, and the barrier to entry is somewhat high. Meanwhile, the barrier to entry for clickbait news is low, hence the advert saturation and race to the bottom outcome.