Topline
An animal rights activist posing as the CEO of pork processor Smithfield Foods fooled Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo into giving him an on-air interview that lasted more than six minutes Wednesday morning.
Key Facts
On Mornings with Maria, Bartiromo spoke with a man she referred to as Smithfield Foods CEO Dennis Organ, but animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere later identified him as an activist named Matt Johnson who campaigns against factory farms and slaughterhouses.
After a convincing start to the interview, Johnson quickly pivoted: He promised “brutal honesty” and said the meat industry posed big environmental and public health risks, while Bartiromo (who called him “Dennis” throughout the interview) grilled him on Smithfield’s Hong Kong-based parent company and asked about food safety.
About 90 minutes later, Bartiromo closed her show by telling viewers her team was “punked” by Johnson, apologizing for the mistake and promising to be more vigilant.
In a statement to Forbes, Smithfield Chief Administrative Officer Keira Lombardo called the segment a “complete lapse,” defending the company’s animal welfare practices and Covid-19 pandemic response from Johnson’s criticism.
When asked for comment, a Fox News spokesperson pointed Forbes to Bartiromo’s on-air correction.
Crucial Quote
“It appears we have been punked,” Bartiromo said.
Chief Critic
“It was not the CEO,” Smithfield’s Lombardo said in a statement. “A simple Google search for a photo of our CEO would have prevented this from happening.”
Key Background
This isn’t the first time Bartiromo has faced criticism for her interviews. Since last month’s election, Bartiromo has intensely covered President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his defeat, allowing misinformation to circulate in the process. Last month, Trump spent more than 40 minutes ranting about baseless voter fraud theories during Bartiromo’s Sunday morning Fox News show, but Bartiromo offered little pushback and almost never interrupted him. She has also given airtime to fringe Trump allies like Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn, both of whom have promoted wild conspiracy theories about rigged voting machines, and Bartiromo claimed last week an “intel source” told her Trump was the rightful winner of the presidential election.
Surprising Fact
After voting machine manufacturer Smartmatic threatened to sue Fox News for airing baseless claims about the company, Bartiromo’s show aired an interview with an election security expert who debunked some of the theories that have been promoted on her program.
Further Reading
Maria Bartiromo Tricked by Animal Rights Activist Posing as Meat Company CEO (The Daily Beast)
