Journalists at a news site that covers the Haitian community in the United States say they've been harassed and intimidated with racist messages for covering a fake story about immigrants eating the pets of people in an Ohio town.
One editor at the Haitian Times, a 25-year-old online publication, was 'swatted" this week with police turning up at her home to investigate a false report of a gruesome crime. The news site canceled a community forum it had planned for Springfield, Ohio and has shut down public comments on its stories about the issue because of threats and vile posts.
The Times, which had the Committee to Protect Journalists conduct safety training for its journalists in Haiti, has now asked for advice on how to protect staff in the United States, said Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder and publisher.
"We've never faced anything like this," Pierre-Pierre said Wednesday.
The site says it isn't backing down
