Dave Portnoy fires WaPo for broadcasting a ‘hit piece’ after calling out a reporter: they were ‘caught lying’

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy took a flamethrower to the Washington Post on Friday for publishing a “hit piece” about him after his fiery exchange with their reporter went viral.

On Wednesday, Portnoy published the lengthy exchange he had with Post food reporter Emily Heil, who allegedly sent inquiries to his One Bite Pizza Festival’s business partners pressing them whether they were concerned about “the history of misogynistic comments and other problematic behavior” by Portnoy. Heil acknowledged that what she wrote had been deliberately “pointed out” “because I really wanted them to respond.”

The next day, The Post was scheduled to interview Portnoy in the morning, but then asked him if he could reschedule the interview for the evening, which he declined.

On Friday, the newspaper published its article under the headline “Pizzerias navigate buzz, backlash around Dave Portnoy’s pizza fest,” writing that one pizzeria in particular was “quickly accused of supporting accused man of sexual misconduct and having a history of using racist, misogynistic and homophobic language that he defended as a joke.”

DAVE PORTNOY’S PHONE CALL WITH WASHINGTON POST REPORTER GOES VIRAL AS HE CALLS FOR A ‘HIT PIECE’

The Post even referenced Portnoy’s previously published viral phone call.

“In a brief phone call with The Post, he said, ‘I’ve been struck by the same things over and over again, and they’re so out of context,'” The Post wrote in reference to what was said in Portnoy’s viral recording. .

“Since the One Bite Pizza Festival was announced in early August, some influencers, writers and activists have called out pizzerias and sponsors participating in the approaching sold-out event,” the Post told readers after listing comments Portnoy’s past and reported sexual misconduct. allegations he had previously denied.

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The Post then continued: “None of the pizzerias or sponsors contacted by the Post indicated they were withdrawing their support. Some said they lent their names and reputations to the event in exchange for publicity or access to the young, social media-savvy audience. that Portnoy attracts. And some support Portnoy, whom they see as a champion of small business. Its pizza reviews, they say, can increase revenues by up to 50 percent. They point out that his Barstool fund has raised tens of millions of dollars to help restaurants and other small businesses during the pandemic.

“Portnoy agreed to a full interview, but when The Post asked him to reschedule, he declined another hour and declined the offer to answer questions in writing,” the newspaper described.

The story was co-written by Heil and fellow Post reporter Tim Carman.

Dave Portnoy rose to fame online thanks to his viral “One Bite” pizza reviews. ((Photo by Tom Briglia/Getty Images))

The owner of Barstool Sports picked up the Post’s story on social media.

“It’s surreal, we live in a country where activist journalists can openly be caught lying and admitting that they are creating a false narrative to generate engagement and controversy AND still publish the article” , reacted Portnoy.

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Portnoy further mocked the Post for its characterization of their derailed interview.

“Translation: Dave Portnoy caught us red-handed. Our pissed off reporter lied again and said she had always planned to contact him to get his perspective. She then scheduled a meeting. She did then canceled (sic) up to 1 minute before the article was published, so she could claim she tried to talk to him,” Portnoy wrote.

Portnoy organized the One Bite Pizza Festival in Brooklyn on September 23, 2023, featuring nearly 40 pizzerias. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Other criticisms piled up on the “Democracy Dies in Darkness” newspaper.

“The Washington Post is amazing. We all saw how this happened. It sucks for small businesses and for journalism. @JeffBezos you need to pause your newspaper,” the author and pundit called out economic Carol Roth, billionaire owner of the newspaper.

“It’s amazing that we all saw this happen and they are just whistling in the graveyard. Buried deep in the tweets is the fact that @stoolpresidente has raised millions for businesses struggling during covid “wrote popular chef Andrew Gruel.

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“The passive voice used in this thread to describe The Washington Post’s own attempt to get sponsors to withdraw their support for the event described is fascinating,” said Mollie Hemingway, editor-in-chief of the Federalist.

“There was no ‘backlash’ until WaPo decided there should be,” posted Spectator Washington editor Amber Athey.

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