Like it or not, the checkmark has become an almost universal symbol on most social platforms, even though its exact meaning can vary significantly between services. Now, Reddit, which historically hasn't cared that much about its users' identity, is joining the club and starting to test verification for public figures on its platform.

The company is beginning "a limited alpha test" of the feature with a small "curated" group of accounts that includes journalists from major media outlets like NBC News and the Boston Globe. Businesses that are already using an "official" badge, which Reddit started testing in 2023, will also now have a grey "verified" checkmark instead of the "official" label. 

Verification has long been a thorny issue for many platforms. For users, it's at times been a source of confusion, especially on sites where verified badges only require a paid subscription. Reddit's approach, at least for now, is closer to how Twitter handled verification prior to Elon Musk's takeover of the company.

The company has handpicked the initial group who will get checkmarks indicating they have verified their identity and seems to be geared around high-visibility accounts. "This feature is designed to help redditors understand who they're engaging with in moments when verification matters, whether it’s an expert or celebrity hosting an AMA, a journalist reporting news, or a brand sharing information," Reddit explains in a blog post. "Our approach to verification is voluntary, opt-in, and explicitly not about status. It’s designed to add clarity for redditors and ease the burden on moderators who often verify users manually." 

For now, Reddit users — even notable ones — won't be able to apply for verification. But the company notes that its intention isn't to limit checkmarks to famous people only. A Reddit spokesperson tells Engadget that "our goal is that anyone who wishes to self-identify will be able to do so in the future." 

The company also notes that verification doesn't come with any exclusive perks, like increased visibility or immunity from the rules of individual subreddits. Reddit requires accounts to be in good standing and already active on the platform in order to be eligible for verification. Accounts that are marked NSFW or that "primarily engage in NSFW-tagged communities" won't be eligible. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/reddit-is-starting-to-verify-public-figures-170000833.html?src=rss

“We hold these truths to be self-evident . . .”

No longer. The rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” which many have died fighting to protect, have gone from self-evident to arguable to archaic to invisible.

Blindness to the principle of rights is glaringly evident in the current discussion of assisted suicide. (E.g., “Kathy Hochul Faces a Life-or-Death Decision,” The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 13-14, 2025). Rights are never mentioned.

Yet, as the supreme principle of law and politics, individual rights are the first thing to consult, the determinative standard.

Ethically, rights come from the fact that each individual exists for his own sake, not as a means to some allegedly higher end. Your life is yours, to live for your own ends and your own happiness.

How does that apply to the issue of assisted suicide?

If your life is yours, then yours is the right to end it. If you have the right to pursue your own happiness, then you have the right to say when happiness is no longer possible to you. If your liberty is by right, then no law can prohibit you from any action, unless the action violates the rights of another person. Suicide violates no one else’s rights.

Or does it? If you are owned by the state, then suicide is destruction of government property. If Allah owns you, then suicide is sacrilege.

But if you are not a slave of gods, men, or government, then when something makes further existence unbearable, when you judge that living longer means nothing but more pain and suffering, your right to end it is indeed self-evident.

No one has a duty to help you live or to help you end your life. But in both cases, those who want to help, whether because they are paid or out of generosity, have the right to do so.

Suicide is a right, and so are cooperation and trade—which means that assisted suicide is a right.

I am, of course, aware of the grave, terribly tragic nature of suicide. The highest standards of legal protection must be applied in the case of assisted suicide, in order to make objectively, publicly clear that it is suicide, not euthanasia.

But the purpose of the legal procedures is to ensure there is informed consent—to protect the patient’s right to his life, not to justify his suicide.

To whom would he have to justify ending his life? His life is his own.

The post Why Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau are a match made in hell appeared first on spiked.

For elite journalists, being compared to Walter Cronkite is considered a great honor, so when the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism announced their 2025 Walter Cronkite Awards for excellence in political journalism on Wednesday, it gave insight into who the industry views as the best of the best. For everybody else, the 2025 winners were a reminder that for those journalists, fighting President Trump is the best way to get street cred. The first winner was NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander for “holding the powerful accountable.” According to the judges, “Alexander’s live reporting and interviewing ‘meets the challenge of fearlessly engaging’ with the U.S. President and his staff in the Oval Office and White House Press Room. Noting his ‘deep commitment to the pursuit of truth,’ they praised his ‘vital work to correct false narratives’ … he remains composed under pressure, persevering and prepared with the facts.’” Speaking of fraud and false narratives, Alexander recently suggested Trump’s comments about Somalis were related to impending ICE operations and not the welfare fraud scandal. Another award winner was CBS’s 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley, executive producer Bill Owens, and producer Maria Gavrilovic for a “story about executive orders targeting law firms that the president treats as political enemies ‘an excellent and shocking look at the context and the breadth of the threat’ of wielding power against the judicial system.” They were also praised for airing that “a week after the program’s executive producer resigned after 24 years with the show, prompted by increased corporate supervision of its news content in the face of a $20 billion lawsuit from President Trump and the pending FCC approval required for CBS owner Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media. ‘This skillful examination stands up for the Fourth Estate’s responsibility to not fold under pressure’” Next were PBS News Hour anchors Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett for their “On Democracy” series. “Judges called this ‘brilliant concept’ for a series of interviews with experts, scholars and activists ‘the very best that news can do.’ … it delivered diverse viewpoints that “cut through the noise.” In reality, News Hour featured 98 liberal guests from July 18 to September 18, but only 21 conservatives. MS NOW’s Rachel Maddow was also honored for being “the first and only national television program to cover the Hands Off protest movement on April 7 as ‘a valuable contribution to the historic record of this presidency,’ hailing the ‘engaging and informative’ episode reporting on 1,400 peaceful demonstrations as a ’strong use of the medium’ showing viewers they’re not alone in dissent.” Back on CBS, Evening News anchor John Dickerson’s pretentious end-of-show monologues were praised for “defending civil service and risks to healthcare, to the DOJ, DOGE and DEI. Dickerson does a journalist’s job of ‘bravely’ calling out false narratives ‘with humanizing detail and precision.’ His ‘clear explanations’ tell us how and why it matters that democratic values are under assault, and his ‘historical grounding’ presents facts with ‘calm and rational delivery,’ making his writing even more ‘powerful and effective.’” The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart was recognized for “continuing a comedic tradition in American journalism” and being “a master of his class,’ as shown in the entry’s analysis of DOGE, Stewart exposes how its chainsaw approach eroded safeguards that protect democracy instead of actually cutting fat.” It’s ironic that Stewart was the first comedy host to be recognized by the award given that he spent part of Monday’s show mocking Trump for winning the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize, which he claimed was just a way for FIFA to appease Trump. Also receiving an award was Noticias Telemundo anchor Julio Vaqueiro for “exploring the massive changes enacted, from immigration to tariffs,” and KFOR Oklahoma City for “this ‘stunning’ three-part series about a U.S. citizen and her daughters detained and humiliated by Homeland Security agents ‘a poignant example of finding an important local story that illustrates a national one and digging deep into it and not letting go.’” Not only was there no award given to anyone who investigated the left, but there was also no award given to anyone who did something non-Trump related. The 2025 Walter Cronkite Awards ended up being just another instance of journalists patting themselves on the back for allegedly keeping democracy alive.

The liberal ladies of ABC’s The View barely had a grasp of American politics, but on Wednesday’s show they ventured into international politics. Pouncing on President Trump’s comments over the last few days about wishing more people from Scandinavian countries (like Norway) would immigrant to the U.S. and denouncing Somali immigrants who defrauded federal welfare programs, The View declared that it all came down to Trump’s “racism”; suggesting there were no other differences between the countries other than race. After playing edited soundbites of Trump rhetorically asking, “Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden,” moderator Whoopi Goldberg was noticeably irritated. “Well, they see you as the president, and they don't want to come here,” she sneered. Co-host Joy Behar chimed in with her signature dull whit and proclaimed that she had a “really good idea” to ship Trump off to Norway. And in all seriousness, Goldberg falsely claimed that Norway had banned Trump from traveling there: BEHAR: I have a great idea. I have a really good idea. Why doesn't he go to Norway and stay there? He loves it so much. GOLDBERG: They won't let him in. They will not let him in. BEHAR: That's true. GOLDBERG: No, they won't let him in.   ABC News falsely claims Norway has banned President Trump from entering the country: TRUMP: Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few. [End clip] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Well, they see you as the president, and they don't want to come here. JOY BEHAR: That's… pic.twitter.com/WqfliC1CSj — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2025   Behar would pipe up again a short time later to declare that the only reason Trump would have anything bad to say about Somalia was his “racism”: BEHAR: Can we just talk for a second about the blatant racism, though? What's the difference between Somalia and Norway? Hello. I mean, it's so obvious that that is what it is and he doesn't even try to cover it. GOLDBERG: Taller people? Perhaps it had something to do with Somalia literally being a failed state. Within the borders of Somalia (one of them being in dispute with Ethiopia), there were at least three governments vying for authority and one of them was the al Shabaab terrorist group, which was besieging the capital city of Mogadishu.   "What's the difference between Somalia and Norway, hello?" Joy Behar claims the only difference between Norway and Somalia is the color of their skin. Not the fact that one is a functioning state and the other a failed state with several governments vying for authority and a… pic.twitter.com/zBsd6Y6vI5 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2025   Behar was so ignorant, if she heard someone say “Somaliland,” she’d likely think they were using a derogatory name for the country. It’s the name of breakaway region that claims statehood in the country’s northwest. Staunchly racist co-host Sunny Hostin agreed that “racism” was the driving factor and bloviated about “offended” she an everyone in her echo chamber were about Trump allegedly calling Haiti a “shit hole country”: My husband's father was from Haiti. And so, the Haitian community really was offended. I was offended. My family was offended. And I think everyone should be offended at the blatant xenophobia and racism that comes from the highest office in the United States.   While claiming she doesn't feel safe in America, Sunny Hostin bloviates about how "the Haitian community was really offended. I was offended. My family was offended" when Trump allegedly called Haiti a "shithole country." Gangs literally control most of Haiti and carry out… pic.twitter.com/uEcCFdUYk8 — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2025   Haiti too was a failed state. After the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021, the country spiraled out of control until its collapse in 2024. Now, most of the country was controlled by brutal gangs, with the remainder of government forces holed up in small enclaves. One gang leader, Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier was trying to consolidate full control. He’s wanted by the FBI. It’s obvious why countries would be skeptical of people traveling from failed states when their documentation couldn’t be verified. As they were nearing the end of the segment, Goldberg claimed people from Norway didn’t want to move to America “because they don't want to be under a dictatorship.”   ABC News claims Norwegian and Swedes don't want to come to America because "they don't want to be under a dictatorship." Behar portrays Norway as a paradise: "In Norway you have high quality universal healthcare, strong safety net, the gun laws..." pic.twitter.com/PTfPhRX5Bx — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) December 10, 2025   Behar even scoffed at the idea that people from Norway would want to come here at all since it was a perfect country: “But why should they come? They have everything going for them back in Norway. In Norway you have high quality universal healthcare, strong safety net, the gun laws…” If it’s so much better than America, then why aren’t you there, Joy? Notice she didn’t read off a similar list for Somalia. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View December 10, 2025 11:02:56 a.m. Eastern (…) PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few. [Cuts back to live] WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Well, they see you as the president, and they don't want to come here. JOY BEHAR: That's right. GOLDBERG: That's why. BEHAR: I have a great idea. I have a really good idea. Why doesn't he go to Norway and stay there? He loves it so much. GOLDBERG: They won't let him in. They will not let him in. BEHAR: That's true. GOLDBERG: No, they won't let him in. (…) 11:05:12 a.m. Eastern BEHAR: Can we just talk for a second about the blatant racism, though? SUNNY HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: What's the difference between Somalia and Norway? Hello. HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: I mean, it's so obvious that that is what it is and he doesn't even try to cover it GOLDBERG: Taller people? BEHAR: He doesn't even try to cover it up anymore. GOLDBERG: No he doesn’t try to cover it. He never did ever. SARA HAINES: I don’t know if he tried to cover it up. HOSTIN: I think he did. He did try to cover it up. Because remember, when there was reporting coming out of the White House that he had called Haiti an s-hole country. He denied that. He said that he did not use that kind of language. And he tweeted about it and said that he did not say it. And, you know, as you know, my husband -- BEHAR: Let's go to the videotape. HOSTIN: My husband's father was from Haiti. And so, the Haitian community really was offended. I was offended. My family was offended. And I think everyone should be offended at the blatant xenophobia and racism that comes from the highest office in the United States. BEHAR: And the misogyny. HOSTIN: And the misogyny. BEHAR: Everything. HOSTIN: And so now, he's just openly embracing these words like garbage, like filth, like these – BEHAR: Vermin. HOSTIN: And vermin. [Crosstalk] GOLDBERG: This is not new! HOSTIN: But where have we heard that language, Whoopi? We have heard that language in places, fascist places where white supremacy has taken over the country. And to hear the people in the background saying, ‘send her back, send her back,’ it's -- it was scary to me actually. It was scary, and I don't want to live in a country where I'm afraid for myself and my children. BEHAR: But every fascist government looks for a scapegoat. This is his scapegoat. HOSTIN: It’s otherizing language. (…) 11:08:40 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: And this is why all the people you would like to have come here are not going to come here, because they don't want to be under a dictatorship. BEHAR: But why should they come? They have everything going for them back in Norway. HOSTIN: Yeah. BEHAR: In Norway you have high quality universal healthcare, strong safety net, the gun laws…

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globe Awards added a Best Podcast category for its awards show in January. They began from a short list of the top podcasts, about 25 programs, but that included shows the left hates, like Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly, Tucker Carlson, and #1-rated podcaster Joe Rogan. Right-wingers never win awards!?  Over at his kvetchfest of a website Status, Oliver Darcy complained for weeks that the Globe pickers wanted to platform “toxic figures” “who spend their days radicalizing audiences and inflaming the culture wars.” Darcy wants conservatives to be removed from all platforms, including awards shows.  Maybe it's time for Darcy to do a victory dance. The six nominees for that inaugural Best Podcast award are out, and none of these Darcy-inflaming shows made the cut. Instead, it’s mostly light celebrity fare: Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess (with actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Poehler's ex-husband Will Arnett). Tacked on is the Up First podcast from NPR, which is their three top news stories in ten minutes from their show Morning Edition. That recently included Odette Yousef's rah-rah story on ICE resisters in Chicago. So it looks like just another award for glitzy celebrities to win. NPR weekend anchor Ayesha Rascoe was thrilled, but will they be thrilled if they lose to the sex-talk Daddy podcast?  It’s not every day you wake up and a show you host is nominated for a Golden Globe!!! Shout out to NPR and the entire Up First team and all the co-hosts! pic.twitter.com/P7SK7RTdYy — Ayesha Rascoe (@ayesharascoe) December 8, 2025 NPR TV critic Eric Deggans loved that the "knucklehead political chatter" from the right didn't a foothold:  Not gonna lie - I was pretty psyched to see that, in the Golden Globes first year presenting an award for best podcast, they looked past knuckleheaded political chatter - including Joe Rogan and Ben Shapiro - to nominate Amy Poehler, Dax Shepard, and NPR's Up First.… — Switching Codes with Eric Deggans (@Deggans) December 8, 2025 The entertainment site Deadline carried this headline: "Comedy Stars Triumph Over Right-Wing Firebrands In First Golden Globes Podcast Nominations." They noted Ben Shapiro paid for an ad campaign promoting his show...and the New York Times podcast The Daily -- which airs on hundreds of NPR affiliates -- withdrew from consideration. In their story on the list, AP turned to Ben Bogardus, chair of the journalism department at Quinnipiac University, who argued: “They’re trying to bill themselves as an award show that is for the masses and non-controversial, celebrating the best in entertainment. Having this political sideshow, I think they just wanted to avoid that." Has the professor ever watched the Golden Globes? Political sideshows are a big thing....just not conservative sideshows. The 2024 Golden Globes on CBS began with the host, "comedian" Jo Koy, riffing on the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, which taught "white people stole everything! You guys stole everything! Not, like, 97%. You guys stole 100% of everything. You took the land, you took the oil!" Sure, that's non-controversial stuff for the masses, sure sure.