5 ways a 14-year-old crushed an arrogant interviewer

Editor’s note: This was the most-popular article on Ragan.com in 2013. We are rerunning it as part of a look back at the year’s top stories.

If everybody performed in interviews like 14-year-old Rachel Parent, I would be out of a job.

The young Canadian activist founded an organization called “The Kids Right To Know,” which campaigns for mandatory labeling of foods containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). She has organized and spoken at rallies against GMOs and just happens to be one amazing spokesperson.

Here’s the proof: Parent challenged investor and TV host Kevin O’Leary to a debate after he called GMO protesters “just stupid” and suggested on his show that they “stop eating” as a way to “get rid of them.” O’Leary accepted, and last week Parent was a guest on the show he co-hosts, “The Lang & O’Leary Exchange,” from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).