On harassment:
There are different definitions, depending on what legal act is being cited, but most are pretty close to this definition under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act.
Engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.
This does not explicitly require 'repeated' or 'ongoing' behavior. However, the law is often applied that way, in that one may
make a case that you were unaware your conduct might be unwelcome in some circumstances, and as such maybe you get a pass on the first instance of same.
In the case, its the act of repeating the behavior after having been told its unwelcome that constitutes harassment.
However, in cases where its clear as day that most people would understand a statement to be vexatious or known to cause offense, once is sufficient to have violated the law.
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On the issue more broadly, I view the behavior of these (typically) young men as boorish and obnoxious, but I admit to reservations over using the power of criminal law.
One could not reasonably infer, in most cases, that the young men are intending to threaten, they imagine (though one wonders why) they are being funny.
Its clearly not acceptable conduct, but potentially giving someone a criminal record also seems a bit over done.
I do think reporters (of either sex) ought not to have to endure people behaving like this; I'm just challenged to find a balanced reaction other than negative social sanction.
In the case where alcohol is clearly an issue, we do have statutes against being drunk in public; though again, selective enforcement of the law tends to bother me.
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Only tangentially related, and in no way excusing the behavior described above, it does bring to mind how many unnecessary 'live shots' there are in newscasts today.
As is reporting on something that happened, in many cases hours before......from 'the scene' somehow adds value.
Nothing wrong w/recording your bit, and editing it back at the station, or in the truck.
I mention this, because we see local news often struggling to survive in many smaller markets, and even in urban ones, investigative journalism at the local level is downright rare.
Yet, somehow there are resources for satellite time and oodles of dish-equipped trucks.