Carleton journalism professor Allan Thompson announced he will be running for the Liberal Party nomination in the Huron-Bruce riding on July 14, in hopes of becoming the riding’s Liberal candidate for the upcoming 2015 federal election.
“Things are a little bit different,” Thompson said. “I’m a career-journalist, so getting into politics is a pretty big move.”
If elected, he said he hopes to “bridge whatever gap there might be between rural areas and the big city in terms of understanding where our food comes from, and what it means to live in small towns.”
He also said he wishes to advocate for more openness and transparency in the Canadian news media.
Thompson is currently on sabbatical from Carleton until January 2015. The nomination of the Liberal candidate in his riding will take place this fall or early next year.
“The way the contract works at Carleton is that you are allowed to seek public office, and if elected, then we take a leave,” he said.
If elected as a Liberal candidate, Thompson said he will leave Carleton. If not, he said he will return to teaching as scheduled.
“As an academic, it is perfectly acceptable to belong to political parties, even for journalism professors,” he said. “I think you would really have to draw the line of course, because that could not enter into your teaching.”
Thompson said working journalists should not have a political affiliation, which is why he refrained from joining a political party while publishing a weekly column in the Toronto Star until mid-2012.
Josh Greenberg, the director of the School of Journalism, said only some would be able to handle this effectively. In Thompson’s case, he said he has no doubt.
It raises ethical questions, but it is not surprising and more common for political reporters to run for office, contrary to popular belief, Greenberg added.
Greenberg said he fears the loss of such an “accomplished and highly regarded professor and colleague” whose expertise cannot be easily covered by other faculty, yet he also felt “tremendous pride” at his willingness to run for public office.
“Allan is one of the most considerate, compassionate and kind people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. He cares deeply about democracy in Canada and abroad. He will make an excellent contribution to public life as an MP,” Greenberg said.
There is a natural connection between journalism and politics, Thompson said, and as a journalist, a researcher, and a teacher, he thinks he would be “very useful” for a career in politics, he added.
Thompson said leaving students behind will be the saddest part because that is the best part of his job at Carleton.
