Reporter Strikes Back at Hecklers Yelling 'FHRITP'

Canadian fired for harassing woman on-air
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 13, 2015 12:21 AM CDT

Yelling the obscene phrase known by the acronym FHRITP into a reporter's microphone isn't a prank, it is sexual harassment and it can cost you your job, a Canadian man discovered this week. After the phrase was shouted at CityNews reporter Shauna Hunt outside a Toronto FC soccer game on Sunday, she confronted a nearby group of men she heard conspiring to shout it again, the Toronto Star reports. "Were you guys waiting around to see if you could 'F her in the P' me live on TV?" she asked on air, telling them it is "a disgusting thing to say" and is "degrading to women." The men defended their behavior, saying it was "hilarious" and "amazing," reports the Huffington Post.

After video of the exchange went viral, one member of the group, identified as hydro engineer Shawn Simcoe, was fired from his $90,000 a year job, the Globe and Mail reports. The employer of another man says that although the comments were made on his own time, the company will be looking into it. Hunt says the phrase has been used to harass female reporters for at least a year. On Sunday, "I had intoxicated men yelling it at me. I was interrupted during interviews and was anxious about going live," she tells the Toronto Sun. "I felt like a piece of meat. I had reached my limit, and it was time to push back." Police say they did not receive a complaint over the incident, but they have warned in the past that such heckling could lead to criminal charges, the CBC reports. (More Canada stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X