WaPo Slapped With Community Note Over Barstool Sports Piece. Dave Portnoy's Reaction Is Perfect.

It’s nothing we didn’t expect from The Washington Post regarding their piece about Barstool Sports. Its founder, Dave Portnoy, through his network of informants, discovered the email the publication was sent to vendors participating in his One Bite Pizza Festival in New York this weekend, an event that hopefully is now washed away by Tropical Storm Ophelia who is working her way up the east coast. Portnoy called one of the reporters, Emily Heil, and in 10 minutes, exposed the paper’s bias and activism.

I Caught Wind That The Washington Post Was Writing A Hit Piece About Me And My Pizzafest So I Did What I Do. I Went on the Offensive pic.twitter.com/5oK2zJqVAs
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 20, 2023

El Presidente intercepted the hit piece, blunting any backlash, if any, that could have arisen—not that loyal stoolies would have abandoned the sports and pop culture site anyway. The whole backstory is absurd. Portnoy invited the best pizza joints he’s ever reviewed to this festival. His ‘One Bite’ pizza videos, which he’s done for years, have amassed a substantial following, capable of making or breaking an establishment.

The craziest thing about this @OneBiteFest controversy is the very few losers complaining about it never had any intention of going. Their only goal is to hurt all the pizzerias and small businesses involved because they don't like me. How delusional and selfish can you be?
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 21, 2023

The piece did include a healthy amount of praise from the vendors for Portnoy, despite his supposedly controversial remarks and opinions from the past, though it was buried toward the end of the piece. That was surprising, but they also included some of the most unserious people I’ve ever seen:

Of course everyone is jumping on the obvious but this is legitimately one of the funniest things I've read https://t.co/15NC4K1Qbs pic.twitter.com/z7gQRRfHD8
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) September 22, 2023

The Post tried to say that they had attempted to reach out to Portnoy on their social media page, which got a community note because that’s a bald-faced lie. Heil scheduled a call with Portnoy after he blew up her spot and then asked to reschedule. Portnoy refused to the new time because he knew the game:

Translation: Dave Portnoy caught us red handed. Our flustered reporter lied again and said she always planned on contacting him to get his side. She then scheduled a meeting. She then cancelled it till 1 minute before article was due so she could claim she tried to talk him https://t.co/hc5NsKs7yn
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 22, 2023

This weekend, New York will host Dave Portnoy's One Bite Pizza Festival.

Participating pizzerias have had to navigate buzz around the festival and backlash against the Barstool Sports founder's controversial remarks and allegations of sexual misconduct. https://t.co/v2XqLxkJwg
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) September 22, 2023

There was no "backlash" until WaPo decided there should be https://t.co/RHQvTwtacZ
— Amber Athey (@amber_athey) September 22, 2023

For Immediate Release: pic.twitter.com/G7QSlGGnKD
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 23, 2023

Even ESPN writers were commenting on this spectacle, with Don Van Nata, Jr. lecturing about how WaPo did everything wrong. While he viewed the term “hit piece’ as cliched, he added that what the publication did sure fans those flames.

Fellow journos— don’t do this, ever.

If a source agrees to talk with you, talk with the source— especially if you’ve agreed to a time (but you’re still reporting).

Never write a story without a willing source’s voice because of “scheduling differences.”

It’s called fairness. https://t.co/OeP1ywZqmK
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) September 23, 2023

Often a source wants to chat before I was “ready” to talk with the source. You do the interview anyway because you’ll likely learn things that’ll need more reporting before your deadline.

And even if a source does NOT record you committing to a date/time? You do the interview!
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) September 23, 2023

“Often a source wants to chat before I was ‘ready’ to talk with the source. You do the interview anyway because you’ll likely learn things that’ll need more reporting before your deadline,” he wrote on Twitter.

“And even if a source does NOT record you committing to a date/time? You do the interview!”

Enjoy their pizza and stay dry on Coney Island. Viva la Stool!

When we first thought of this festival, I made a short list of pizzerias that needed to be here. Luigi’s from Park Slope was one of those places. An all time guy @Luigis_Pizza_NY pic.twitter.com/y62m2buZ8t
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 23, 2023

After I reviewed Borelli’s and @FrankieBorrelli’s dad took over making over the pie from their main pizza maker, they went back to the drawing board and came back with a great pie pic.twitter.com/sijzoxotKg
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 23, 2023

John’s of Bleeker is another pizzeria I said I wouldn’t do the festival without. I genuinely appreciate all these pizza places coming out @OneBiteFest pic.twitter.com/4J53PXMpDX
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) September 23, 2023

***

UPDATE: This response is hilarious, but WaPo and others won't get it because liberals are humorless.