Emily Maitlis was forced to ask Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams to leave the studio during a recording of The News Agents podcast, after a lawyer contacted the show demanding that no conversation about Meta or Sarah's book take place. The awkward moment saw Maitlis tell Wynn-Williams: 'I can't believe I'm saying this but in order for us to have this conversation now, I'm going to ask you to leave. I am going to ask you to leave the studio.'
Whistleblower Exiled from Own Interview
Wynn-Williams, a former Facebook executive, looked around awkwardly before vacating her chair. Maitlis then turned to co-host Amy Wallace and asked: 'What the f*** is going on?' Wallace explained that Wynn-Williams had written a book about Facebook's policies, and that Meta had taken legal action to prevent her from discussing it, doing interviews, holding the book, or even being near where it is sold.
'This is an attempt to punish someone who spoke the truth, in my view,' Wallace said. The incident was shared on social media by The News Agents, captioned: 'The bizarre moment @maitlis is forced to ask Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams to leave the studio.'
Meta's Response and Allegations
A spokesperson for Meta issued a statement to the podcast, saying: 'This former employee is trying to use the legal process to sell books, which an arbitrator already ruled broke the agreement she signed with the company when she accepted a large severance payment years ago.' The statement added: 'Her book is divorced from reality, disparaging and riddled with false claims.'
Wynn-Williams's allegations include claims that Facebook embedded staff in Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, that Mark Zuckerberg once planned to run for office, that the company collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party, and that it developed predatory techniques targeting teenage girls. Facebook denies all allegations.
