AG Report 9.26.2023

Dave Portnoy Confronts Washington Post Activist

I've previously noted the increasingly troubling trend of activists who work as reporters targeting people they dislike by demanding that the people and companies with whom they associate denounce them. The latest target was Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, but he put on a master class in responding to bullying.

When Portnoy learned that a Washington Post reporter was doing that to him before a pizza festival, he called the reporter and confronted her. Portnoy recorded and posted the conversation. The reporter, Emily Heil, ended up backtracking and suggesting she wanted the full story despite her communication to advertisers clearly implying the story was pre-written and the narrative was set.