Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, exposed Emily Heil, a reporter from the Washington Post, for allegedly trying to smear his reputation by contacting his advertisers and making accusations of misogyny to them. Portnoy speculates that this is to get advertisers to pull out of sponsoring his upcoming event, Pizzafest.
In a video on X, Portnoy highlighted the continuous struggle against this form of censorship and took the initiative to challenge Heil’s unfounded claims that were ostensibly aimed at influencing his supporters and advertisers.
The discord began when Portnoy discovered that Heil had been approaching his advertisers with the accusation of him having a “history of misogynistic comments.” Portnoy didn’t sit back, instead, he dialed Heil and took her head-on during an 11-minute candid call, posting the whole ordeal on X.
Heil initially denied maligning Portnoy’s character, but under the examination of her own words propagated in an email, she was compelled to backtrack. “You’re basically sending an email that says, to the effect, ‘Dave’s a misogynic racist. Do you want to defend yourselves advertising at this event?’ Right?” Portnoy called out Heil, after establishing that he was the subject of her forthcoming article, an information she seemed oblivious to initially.
In a flap to justify her actions, Heil admitted that the email read by Portnoy was “pointed” because she wanted a response from the recipients.
However, she didn’t acknowledge making derogatory remarks about Portnoy until he presented undeniable evidence – the very email she had penned.
Upon presenting the evidence, the conversation between Heil and Portnoy turned heated, with claims and counterclaims made over the initial denial of Heil’s assertions and her later recognition.
Media outlets contacting outlets and presenting them with accusations adds pressure on them to drop their sponsorships and is a growing tactic that is only increasing as the weaponization of the news media also increases.
