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Anyone who knew what to look for could have seen it.
Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo was questioning the CEO of a major food company Wednesday on her show: Mornings with Maria.
He began the interview with a smug smile. He stuttered between the answers. And then he pointed out the possible cause of the next pandemic in his own industry.
“Conditions inside our farms can sometimes be Petri dishes for new diseases,” said Matt Johnson, animal rights activist and Direct Action Everywhere press coordinator.
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He was posing as Dennis Organ, the recently announced CEO of Smithfield Foods, a Virginia-based global food company.
“The statements that were transmitted are absolutely and completely false,” Keira Lombardo, the company’s managing director, said in a statement. “Smithfield is a recognized leader in animal care and welfare, environmental stewardship and workplace safety. Smithfield employs veterinarians and other experts throughout the company who ensure that safety, comfort and the health of farm animals are comprehensive. “
The rogue Fox Business guest on Wednesday temporarily misled the host, who later in the show apologized for the mistake.
Screenshot / youtube
Animal Activista poses as CEO of Smithfield Foods on Fox Business Show “Mornings with Maria Bartiromo”
“We have an important correction to make. It seems we have been punk,” Bartiromo said, acknowledging that the guest was an imposter. “We want to apologize to Dennis Organ, Smithfield Foods and our audience for making this mistake. We will of course be more vigilant.”
In an interview Thursday, Johnson said he intended to falsely announce that the company would be leaving animal agriculture to offer only plant-based foods. Instead, he reacted to Bartiromo’s questions about the company’s involvement in China.
Lombardo clarified in the statement that Smithfield Foods “does not import food from China,” although its parent company is a publicly traded and publicly traded company based in Hong Kong.
“The statements that were issued are absolutely and completely false,” Lombardo said.
Although Johnson did not reveal all the details of how it aired – “we don’t want to publicly reveal all the trade secrets,” he said – the activist used false contact information to elude the production team.
“Fox Business aired a segment that was a complete hoax,” Lombardo said in the statement. “A simple Google search for a photo of our CEO would have prevented this from happening.”
Although Johnson said he likely would have performed the stunt on any television show, he said his group was targeting Fox News. He cited the network’s recent decision to air a news package that discredits its talk show hosts’ previous coverage of voting software company Smartmatic.
Fox News journalists have repeatedly reported that President Trump’s complaints about voter fraud are not supported, but the network’s talk show hosts have credited those complaints in their comments. Smartmatic sent a letter to Fox, claiming that the network aided “a concerted disinformation campaign” about the elections. The letter led to Fox’s decision to spend airtime verifying the facts.
Bartiromo has recently come under fire for providing a platform for Trump and his lawyers to make false claims about the election results.
-Los Angeles Times
