United States: Vandals Target Homes Of Reporter Lauren Choolijan, NHPR Director

Location: United States, New Hampshire, Maryland   
Date: June 1, 2022

Reporter Lauren Chooljian and director of her employer organization, New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR), have been repeatedly targeted by vandals and threatened since April, seemingly in connection with their reportage. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns the attacks on Lauren and NHPR journalists. We call on the authorities to expedite the ongoing investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice. Journalists must be free to report independently without threats to their safety. 

Two incidents occured the morning of May 21, targeting the journalists’ former and current homes, according to the police. The first was at Hampstead, New Hampshire, and the second in Melrose, Massachusetts. In the surveillance video released by the district attorney’s office a person can be seen throwing a brick through a window of the Melrose home on Lynn Fells Parkway and running away. “Just the beginning” was spray painted in red on the house. 

In Hampstead, vandals sprayed the garage door with obscenities and threw a brick at the house. 

Lauren took to Twitter to express her concern and dismay over the five incidents of vandalism targeting her residence, her parents home and NHPR News Director Daniel Barrick. “It’s not okay,” said the journalist. 

5 incidents of vandalism targeting journalists.

The c-word spray-painted in red on my parents’ garage. 2 separate times.

The c-word in red on @danielbarrick’s front door. And on a house I used to live in. Bricks thrown through windows.

Here’s my house. It’s not okay. pic.twitter.com/N6KJnOmsJt

— Lauren Chooljian (@laurenchooljian) May 31, 2022

They’ve been targeted on at least five occasions by vandals over the course of 30 days. 

The journalists had earlier alerted the authorities to similar incidents of vandalism that occured on April 24 at the same Hampstead residence as well as homes in Concord and Hanover, reported NHPR. 

Lauren’s most recent reports, published in March, detailed sexual misconduct allegations against Eric Spofford, former CEO of Granite Recovery Centers, one of the state’s largest substance abuse rehabilitation centers that she has been covering since December 2020. It is speculated that Lauren was targeted because of her work documenting the problems at Granite Recovery Centers. In her latest reports, she quoted an attorney denying the allegations against Spofford and threatening legal action against NHPR if the article was published.

The Middlesex County district attorney and police in four towns are investigating the incidents and claim to have leads on potential suspects. “After the article came out, all this trouble started for the reporter or the news organization. At some point [investigators] may have a conversation with him [Spofford]," said Melrose Police Chief Michael Lyle. But it was too soon to say if he would be a person of interest, she added.

In a statement released through his attorneys, Spofford denied any role in the vandalism. Instead, he alleged that NHPR’s coverage of the incidents is part of a “coordinated attack” to deter him from filing a defamation claim against Lauren over her articles. Spofford suggested other people she spoke to for the article may have been behind the attacks. 

Whether Lauren Chooljian was targeted due to their reportage remains murky but it is clear that the perpetrators seek to threaten and intimidate her, Daniel Barrick and the publication. The Coalition For Women In Journalism strongly condemns the attacks and reiterates its call for better safeguards for journalists reporting on crucial matters of public interest. It is extremely worrying that the journalists’ former and current homes were targeted as well as their family homes. We extend support to the journalists and call on the authorities to ensure all those involved in these attacks are brought to justice, no matter how influential they may be. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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