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During a journalism career that has spanned nearly 40 years, Garry Pierre-Pierre has faced threats, intimidation and open racism by readers of his work.
But the vitriol has reached another level over the past week as The Haitian Times, a publication he founded, has chronicled the unfounded claims that Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, have been eating their neighbors’ pets.
In recent days, a surge of remarks posted on the outlet’s site containing racial epithets led Mr. Pierre-Pierre to shut down the comment section. The publication’s special projects editor, Macollvie Neel, was “swatted” — police officers were sent to her residence under the false pretense, cooked up by a prankster with her address, that someone had been murdered there for making racist remarks. And a woman interviewed by The Haitian Times received threats after her quotes were published in an article, leading her to request that her name be removed.
“I’ve covered crazy stuff,” Mr. Pierre-Pierre said. “I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
False claims about Haitians in Springfield have ricocheted across social media over the past two weeks — illustrated by memes depicting conservative figures alongside cats and dogs — particularly after former President Donald J. Trump referenced the falsehoods during the presidential debate last week.
While the claims have been debunked over and over, they continue to be repeated by many conservatives, including JD Vance, Mr. Trump’s running mate.
The claims have been closely covered by The Haitian Times, a digital publication with about 20 full- and part-time employees in the United States and Haiti to cover developments in the global Haitian community.
