A New Hampshire reporter exposes sexual abuse in substance use recovery industry and faces relentless attacks

The brick crashed through Lauren Chooljian’s window accompanied by a message scrawled on the side of her house: “THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.”Chooljian had a good idea what this attack was about. She is a senior reporter and producer at New Hampshire Public Radio. She had been investigating alleged sexual misconduct by Eric Spofford, the founder of GraniteRecovery Centers, New Hampshire's largest substance use disorder treatment and rehabilitation network. As more and more women told her of being sexually harassed and abused by Spofford, Chooljian has faced mounting threats, lawsuits, and attacks on her home as well as the homes of her parents and editor.“That’s being a journalist in America today,” Chooljian told the New York Times.Spofford denies the sexual misconduct allegations.If the attacks and lawsuits were intended to silence Chooljian, they failed spectacularly. In June, NHPR released a seven-part podcast series, “The 13th Step,” hosted by Lauren Chooljian. The series investigated Spofford and systemic abuse in the substance use disorder treatment industry. New York Magazine recently named “The 13th Step” one of the best podcasts of 2023.In late June, several weeks after the podcast dropped, federal authorities charged three men for their role in the attacks on Chooljian’s house. The complaint said that “a close personal associate” of Spofford’s solicited the attackers. Spofford has also sued NHPR for libel and demanded that it retract the stories about him. The attacks occurred two days after the news organization refused to take down the story. A New Hampshire judge dismissed the libel complaint last year, but Spofford has now demanded access to Chooljian’s interviews and notes. NHPR is currently fighting the request.The attacks on Lauren Chooljian take place within a larger context of journalists being increasingly targeted. Former President Donald Trump frequently urges his followers to confront journalists, who he calls "enemies of the people." Last year, 41 journalists were physically assaulted, according to the U.S. PressFreedom Tracker, and there has been a rise in libel and defamation suits.“We should all see journalism as an essential piece of our democracy,” Chooljian told The Vermont Conversation. “If people are afraid to report wrongdoing, then wrongdoing will never come to light.”