A Vancouver crime reporter is speaking out about harassment related to his work — something that started as a small story — but grew into a big problem for his perception of his health and safety.
Jeremy Hainsworth, a Glacier Media reporter, has been working in news for more than 30 years with a focus on crime and courts and says he’s endured abuse along the way.
“I’ve faced a lot of harassment, a lot of vile comments, emails, threats, being spat on, having my tires slashed, but I have never had what I perceived to be death threats,” said Hainsworth from B.C. provincial court in Vancouver in late April.
‘Left me terrified’
That all changed two years ago when Hainsworth wrote a story about a Vancouver man in his 40s who was convicted of causing a disturbance at Burger King in downtown Vancouver and resisting police.
When the subject of the story read it, he wasn’t happy according to Hainsworth and showed up at his office.
“He was aggressive, a threatening stance,” said Hainsworth. “I did not engage. I went back inside. Then the emails started … I received an e-mail that said he hoped we all died terrifying deaths and that he wanted to watch. That left me terrified.”
In Hainsworth’s case, he called police, which led to officers asking the man to stop contacting Hainsworth.
When that didn’t work, the reporter turned to the very thing he covers — the courts — and was successful after a three-day trial in winning a peace bond, a 12-month reprieve from 42-year-old Christopher Seres from contacting him.
Hainsworth’s saga is reflective of an ongoing problem for journalists across Canada — unwanted and at times pervasive harassment.
“I honestly hope … this man accepts the help that he clearly needs,” Hainsworth said. “You know, I’ve made mistakes in my life and I can have compassion for people who need some help.”
Seres represented himself in court and argued his emails and phonecalls to Hainsworth weren’t threatening. He promised the court he would abide by the restraining order for its 12-month duration.
After one man’s relentless online harassment made her fear for her son’s safety, veteran broadcaster Jody Vance had her abuser identified, arrested and charged with criminal harassment.
Hainsworth’s ordeal is a familiar story for broadcaster Jody Vance who faced harassment in the form of emails from a single person for seven years.
“I thought it was part of the job. And I’ve since learned it’s not part of the job and it shouldn’t be part of the job,” she said.
Vance also turned to the courts in her case, which ended in a guilty plea for criminal harassment in 2023 from 53-year-old Richard Oliver.
He received a conditional discharge, with 12 months of probation.
Vance is still in court over the case with a civil suit seeking damages. She hopes her legal action will eventually help improve working conditions for other journalists.
“I want to protect those who want to be a part of a free press in this country,” she said. “We know how important that is. We see harassment growing by the day, against the media, against journalism. It has to stop.”
Trying to raise the profile of this problem are organizations like the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), which reminds the public that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects the right of the press and other media to speak out.
“You can be critical of people’s work, of course, but it doesn’t mean you have the right to harass them or to make their life miserable,” said CAJ President Brent Jolly.
He says journalists having to turn to the courts for relief is an imperfect solution because although it can be a deterrent, it is not necessarily a long-term one.
“It doesn’t necessarily stop the person from doing it even after the fact,” he said.
The CAJ and other organizations are trying to support journalists with training in digital literacy and security, along with support, some of it peer-to-peeer and even a fund to help with the costs of dealing with harassment.
“We’ve got to make sure we have the support systems and the infrastructure there for people to continue to be able to do their jobs and stay safe,” he said.
Meanwhile Hainsworth hopes to move on with his work and has a message to people who would attack it.
“If you don’t like the facts of the situation, then go to the source of the facts,” he said. “Don’t go after the journalist. We’re human beings. We hurt, we bleed, we have emotions and things like this are extremely painful and horrible to go through.”
