After helping bankrupt Gawker, Aron D’Souza has launched a startup called Objection that aims to use AI to adjudicate the truth of journalistic claims. For $2,000, anyone can pay to challenge a story, triggering an investigation into its accuracy.

D’Souza says his goal is to restore trust in journalism, which he argues has collapsed over decades. However, critics warn that Objection could make it harder to publish the kind of reporting that holds powerful institutions accountable, particularly if that reporting relies on anonymous sources.

Anonymous sources have played a key role in major award-winning investigations into corruption and corporate wrongdoing. These are often people who face personal risks for sharing important information. Under the platform’s rubric, primary records like regulatory filings and official emails carry the most weight, while anonymous whistleblower claims are ranked near the bottom.

“Protecting a source’s information is vital to telling an important story,” said D’Souza, “but there’s a power imbalance where the subject gets reported upon but has no way to critique the source.” The proposed system could chill whistleblowing and make it harder for media to publish important stories holding power to account.