duPont-Columbia Award Winner, Lauren Chooljian Recognized for “Courage in Journalism”

Lauren Chooljian accepts Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation

by Vahini Shori, 2024-25 duPont Fellow

The duPont-Columbia Journalism Awards team is excited to celebrate 2023 duPont winner Lauren Chooljian’s recent recognition by the International Women’s Media Foundation, who just awarded Chooljian the “Courage in Journalism Award.” 

The award honors women journalists who, in the face of threats to personal safety, sexual harassment, and government oppression display strength with their continued reporting. 

Chooljian’s reporting has certainly met the award’s qualifications. She and her family were harassed and threatened in response to her podcast, The 13th Step, which investigates the addiction treatment industry’s deep culture of sexual abuse and harrasment. The series focused on the abuse allegedly perpetrated by Eric Spofford, who was accused of sexually harassing former employees and sexually abusing a vulnerable client from one of his addiction treatment centers after she received care. 

Spoffard filed a defamation suit against Chooljian for The 13th Step, which required her to turn over thousands of documents. The judge ruled in her favor. 

Four men with alleged ties to Spofford vandalized the homes of Chooljian, her family, and editor with vulgar and threatening messages, including “Just the Beginning!” spray painted on Chooljian’s house. 

Last month, however, there was movement on the case, with one final guilty plea and a new sentence handed down. The four perpetrators were indicted in September of last year and two had already been sentenced.

The remaining criminal sentences will be handed down on October 18 and December 16.