Consultant poses as journalist in Monsanto trial

The entrance to the Phililip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco, where the Monsanto trial took place in March (AFP)

Smiling and affable, the young woman was able to pass herself off as a fellow journalist to reporters including AFP covering a landmark trial in San Francisco on the health risks associated with the weedkiller Roundup.

The relaxed, confident thirtysomething was in fact an employee of Washington-based FTI Consulting, which has a client list that includes Roundup-maker Monsanto and its parent company Bayer.