Global News reporter Rachel Gilmore said Twitter CEO Elon Musk allowing anyone to have a verified account is “a really great way of poisoning the well.” .“This won't democratize journalism,” said Gilmore in a Monday tweet. .“It'll silence it.” .Gilmore said bad actors will shut out reliable news outlets. .She said news outlets have codes of ethics and standards of practices they have to adhere to. If she violated journalism ethics by publishing inaccurate information, she said she would be fired. .Canadian Armed Forces veteran James Topp served a notice of libel against Global News, its parent company Corus Entertainment, and Gilmore in September for an article implying he is a white supremacist..READ MORE: James Topp serves libel notice against Global News."We are publicizing this development to mitigate against the reputational harm Mr. Topp has sustained by being called a white supremacist on the internet," said his team. .The notice of libel said Topp, who had marched across Canada to protest vaccine mandates, was harmed by the Global News article called 'Good PR': Why anti-hate experts are urging politicians to step up vetting practices..Gilmore said people would not be OK with a person paying $8 to call themselves an accountant. She asked what if there were many people who could not be distinguished as reliable or unreliable accountants. .The reporter went on to say what Musk’s paid verification system tells us is “how little Elon respects the work that journalists do.” She said reliable, accountable journalism is important. .“That's probably why it's been attacked so much lately, in tandem with attacks on democracy,” she said. .National Post columnist John Robson asked Gilmore if this is her view of the public. .“That left to themselves they cannot tell babbling viciousness from informed wisdom?” said Robson. .Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant said journalism is “an activity that anyone with a smartphone and a Twitter account can do.” .“The democratization of journalism outrages the elites because it takes away their monopoly,” said Levant. .“That blue checkmark was their ‘proof’ that they're better than you.”
