Italian reporter asked ‘the wrong’ Hollywood stars about Black Lives Matter, Me Too and she would NOT back down

Italian reporter Federica Polidoro addressed the backlash she received over a group interview with Hollywood stars.

The female reporter raised leftist hackles when she appeared to leave out black actress Ayo Edebiri during an interview with After the Hunt stars Andrew Garfield and Julia Roberts. Critics found it particularly egregious that Polidoro addressed a Black Lives Matter and MeToo question to Garfield and Roberts, even as Garfield turned to the actresses to take the lead on those questions.

Watch:

Ayo Edebiri eloquently talks about the political state of the hashtag “Me Too” & the Black Lives Matter movement after being deliberately excluded from the question by an interviewer for their ‘After the Hunt’ press tour.

pic.twitter.com/KyoLoLU1lP

— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 7, 2025

The responses came fast and furious:

how is she gonna ask white people about a blm movement?

— (@naigottem) September 8, 2025

Press tours always wanna treat Black voices like a side note, until it’s trendable ‍

— SPETOO (@RifdahSR_11) September 7, 2025

this looks like racism to me

— PlutoOTF (@PlutoOTF) September 7, 2025

But Polidoro wasn’t about to take the criticism lying down. She issued a scathing response on her Instagram account where she took critics to task over their claims that she is racist.

“Following an interview, I have been subjected to personal insults and attacks because of a question that, for some reason, was not well received by some members of the public. I find it striking that those who unjustly accuse me of racism and consider themselves custodians of justice find acceptable violent language, personal attacks, and cyberbullying,” she snarked. “I would like to clarify that, rather than focusing on the thoughtful responses of Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts, and Andrew Garfield, the discussion continues solely on how I should have phrased the question. All the contributions from those present were reported in full in the published interview, without any omissions.”

“To date, I am not aware of any protocol that dictates the order in which questions must be asked in an interview. Censoring or delegitimizing questions considered ‘uncomfortable’ does not fall within the practice of democracy. Only the Journalists’ Association is authorized to evaluate the work of professionals in the field, not social media tribunals,” she pointed out. “To those who unjustly accuse me of racism, I would like to clarify that in my work I have interviewed people of every background and ethnicity, and my own family is multi-ethnic, matriarchal, and feminist, with a significant history of immigration. I have collaborated for over twenty years with numerous national and international publications of all political orientations, always approaching my work with openness and professional rigor. In my view, the real racists are those who see racism everywhere and seek to muzzle journalism, limiting freedom of analysis, critical thinking, and the plurality of perspectives.”

“Journalism’s role is to ask questions, even on delicate topics, with respect and responsibility. I will not tolerate or accept defamatory or violent language, and I reserve the right to seek legal protection against those who, in recent days, have chosen to hide behind the digital mob to insult and attack me instead of seeking a civil and constructive discussion,” the statement concludes.

Writer/Columnist

Sierra Marlee is a millennial whose hunger for the truth in a world of fake news has led her to BizPac Review.

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