Among other clever turns of phrase, the company invoked Teddy Roosevelt to accuse its “critics”—namely the media—of “perpetuating a false narrative about the company.”

(2/12)

— The Counter (@TheCounter) August 3, 2020

As @SamKBloch reports, this form of reputation-bolstering consumer outreach is a fixture of the pandemic. But Smithfield’s ad was notable for surpassing self-promotion: Its amounted to a pointed attack on the media. https://t.co/p0G4nsCevV

(4/12)

— The Counter (@TheCounter) August 3, 2020

In other words, @SmithfieldFoods is claiming that press reports irresponsibly exaggerate the role meatpackers play in spreading Covid-19, overplaying the risks their business model poses to employees.

But is that criticism, itself, objective?

(6/12)

— The Counter (@TheCounter) August 3, 2020

But reporting from @jesstiafu found that, as of April, the company was still observing basic safety practices, while avoiding sophisticated tools like contact tracing. https://t.co/kVyUohZXWB

“I don’t feel safe,” an employee of Smithfield’s Crete, NE plant told The Counter.

— The Counter (@TheCounter) August 3, 2020

The latest, thx to our friends @FERNnews cc: @leahjdouglas: 52,485 workers (39,056 meatpacking workers, 7,908 food processing workers, & 5,521 farmworkers) have tested positive. At least 222 workers (174 meatpacking workers, 34 food processing workers, & 14 farmworkers) died.

— The Counter (@TheCounter) August 3, 2020

If you insist “the critics who are first and fastest to point the finger typically have little knowledge of the facts,” we amplify @TedGenoways @jayfug @LisaKaczke @marionnestle and others: @SmithfieldFoods, invite us in to get the facts right(er).

(12/12)

— The Counter (@TheCounter) August 3, 2020