Roger Parloff

Fortune journalist Roger Parloff testified for the prosecution about the interviews, recordings, notes, demonstrations, emails, and Theranos materials he used to prepare a June 2014 profile of Holmes and the company. His testimony addressed statements attributed to Holmes and how information from their exchanges appeared in the article.

On direct examination, Parloff recounted representations about Theranos's testing capabilities, small sample sizes, automation and accuracy, proprietary analyzers, military use, and pharmaceutical work. He said Holmes had not disclosed before publication that Theranos used conventional third-party analyzers for many tests, that its proprietary device had narrower capabilities, or that accuracy and reliability problems existed. He also identified Pfizer- and Schering-Plough-labeled reports that Holmes provided and said she did not explain Theranos's role in producing their content or favorable conclusions.

Cross-examination examined the profile's broader reporting process. Parloff acknowledged that trade-secret concerns limited disclosure, that off-the-record material could not be used in the June article, and that he interviewed sources suggested by Holmes as well as sources he identified independently. The defense also questioned him about reporter privilege, discarded handwritten notes, later transcription of shorthand, and leading questions used to confirm an unrecorded exchange concerning Siemens equipment.

The defense further challenged Parloff's recollection that Holmes conveyed military use in Afghanistan. He described that inference as very strong but acknowledged uncertainty, seven years later, about whether she had stated it directly. He also agreed that the article referred to 1,000 tests without distinguishing tests from CPT billing codes and said Holmes did not ask him to correct the wording.