Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo was tricked into an on-air interview with an animal activist posing as the CEO of Smithfield Foods, a meat processing company, reports Mediaite.
''We have an important correction to make,'' the ''Mornings With Maria'' host said at the end of Wednesday's show. ''It appears we have been punked. Earlier in the program, I interviewed someone claiming to be the CEO of Smithfield Foods, Dennis Organ. We’ve since learned that that was not Dennis Organ, but an imposter making false claims about the company. He is someone who has absolutely no relation to Smithfield Foods. We want to apologize to Dennis Organ, Smithfield Foods, and to our audience for making this mistake. We will of course be more vigilant.''
Matt Johnson of Direct Action Everywhere appeared on the show as Organ and at one point asserted that the meat industry could be ''effectively bringing on the next pandemic, with CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] data showing that three of four infectious diseases come from animals and the conditions inside of our farms can sometimes be petri dishes for new diseases.''
The group in a statement said the action was part of Direct Action Everywhere's "No More Factory Farms" campaign, ''which calls on government officials to proactively prevent future pandemic outbreaks by introducing a moratorium prohibiting the construction of new factory farms and slaughterhouses.''
News organizations use bookers for their shows. It is not clear how Direct Action Everywhere got Johnson onto the show.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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