Federica Polidoro, a journalist for Italy’s ArtsLife TV, issued a public response after a segment in which she interviewed actors Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield drew widespread online criticism for appearing to exclude Edebiri from questions on Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement.
A clip of the group interview circulated on social media showing Polidoro directing questions about those topical issues to Roberts and Garfield while repeatedly appearing to bypass Edebiri, a Black woman and an award-winning performer. At one point Roberts said to Polidoro, “Can you repeat that? With your sunglasses on I can't tell which of us you're talking to,” and Edebiri later answered one of the questions despite being initially overlooked by the interviewer.
The clip prompted a wave of commentary on platforms including Reddit, where users questioned why the interviewer would address a man about the #MeToo movement and ask Roberts and Garfield about Black Lives Matter while excluding Edebiri. Some social media users characterized the exchange as reflective of racism; others praised Garfield for turning his body toward Roberts and Edebiri and allowing them space to respond.
In an Instagram post to her roughly 19,000 followers, Polidoro said she had been the target of personal insults and cyberbullying following the interview. She defended her conduct, saying she asked questions on delicate topics “with respect and responsibility” and that all contributions from the participants were published in full in the resulting interview. Polidoro wrote that critics who accused her of racism were instead engaging in what she called a “digital mob” and that violent language and personal attacks against her were unacceptable.
Polidoro denied the accusations of racism and described her personal background, saying her family is “multi-ethnic, matriarchal, and feminist, with a significant history of immigration.” She added that she has spent more than two decades collaborating with national and international publications of varying political orientations and that only a journalists’ association has the authority to evaluate professional work, not social media.
“Censoring or delegitimizing questions considered ‘uncomfortable’ does not fall within the practice of democracy,” Polidoro wrote, and she said she reserves the right to seek legal protection against those who have insulted and attacked her online.
The interview was part of publicity for the film After the Hunt, which stars Edebiri, Roberts and Garfield. Edebiri has received awards attention in recent years for her work in television and film, including recognition from the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild; she is also widely described in press coverage as an Emmy-winning performer for her work on The Bear.
The exchange underscores continuing debates about representation and question allocation in mixed panels and group interviews, which have periodically drawn scrutiny when interviewers appear to direct topical questions away from the people most directly affected by them. Polidoro’s post frames the ensuing debate as a broader conflict between journalistic freedom to pose challenging questions and public demands for sensitivity on issues of race and gender. She said she would not tolerate defamatory or violent language and emphasized that journalists have a duty to ask difficult questions while remaining open to professional assessment through formal channels.