Former Global News reporter Rachel Gilmore announced she has been laid off again, this time by Check My Ads, a digital advertising watchdog. Gilmore was let go by Global News in March of 2023.
“Sadly, my employer made the decision to axe its entire editorial arm — and I know it’s not one they made lightly,” Gilmore said. “But the end result is that I have about two months until I can’t pay my rent.”
The TikTok reporter said she plans to launch her own media company one day, and for now is asking for financial support by subscribing to her Substack so that she doesn’t have to go back to waitressing.
Last week, Gilmore was invited to speak at a parliamentary committee meeting on Russian disinformation where she said that right-wing “grifters” and certain politicians who are opposed to things like men winning female sports competitions, are helping Russia.
“When we indulge in divisive, conspiratorial and often hateful rhetoric, we are doing Russia a favour,” she said.
The TikToker is well-known among supporters of the Freedom Convoy as the reporter who smeared protesters, such as her article titled “Far-right groups hope trucker protest will be Canada’s ‘January 6th.'”
Gilmore’s article was published just one day after newly uncovered text messages between the PMO and Public Safety Liberal staffers revealed a scheme to discredit the Freedom Convoy protesters by likening them to the January 6 rioters. These messages also indicated that there was foreknowledge of an upcoming Global News hit piece that would help frame their narrative.
Prior to Gilmore being let go by Global News, Canadian veteran James Topp, who marched across Canada to protest Covid-19 mandates, sent Global News a libel notice after their URL portrayed him as a white supremacist in an August 2022 article written by Gilmore.
The notice mentioned Gilmore, Global News and Corus Entertainment Inc. as defendants.
Global News later settled the case with Topp out of court after apologizing for “any harm or misunderstanding that may have been caused by the URL.”
