Michael Higgins: Canada’s unimaginative media can’t get enough of these academics

Article content

Earlier this month, Canadian academic Michael Geist started his day by doing 14 radio interviews on “digital sovereignty” following Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario.

Article content

Google had been accused of “digital imperialism” by showing users in the U.S. the name “Lake America” and in Canada Lake Ontario.

Article content

Article content

In a bid to understand the issue, news presenters reached out to Geist, an Ottawa University professor at the Centre for Law, Technology and Society and the Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-Commerce Law.

Article content

Article content

“I woke up early on Monday morning for 14 interviews focused on digital sovereignty on CBC Radio stations across the country,” wrote Geist this month.

Article content

Article content

And this isn’t the first time it has happened. In December, he again did 14 radio interviews after writing about the horrific Chanukah Massacre in Australia.

Article content

Geist is a media darling whose expertise is in huge demand. But he’s not the only one. Across the country there are a handful of academics who continually pop up in print, online and on TV and radio.

Article content

They’re the experts with insights the Canadian media loves.

Article content

Isaac Bogoch, a University of Toronto professor in the Department of Medicine and an infectious diseases specialist, became a household name and face during Covid. It seemed a day rarely passed without Bogoch being on TV.

Article content

But even now, whether it’s CP24 investigating how to prevent Group B strep in newborns, Global News looking at tick bites, or CTV News reporting on Ebola in the Congo, Bogoch is the guy to go to.

Article content

In Canada there is no shortage of politicians, but when it comes to academics talking about politics the spotlight tends to fall on a few.

Article content

Article content

Lori Turnbull, a political science professor and the director of the School of Public Administration at Dalhousie University, is one of the shining lights.

Article content

Article content

“She is a frequent commentator on CTV, CBC and Global News,” notes her bio on the website of the Public Policy Forum think tank where she is a fellow.

Article content

Turnbull’s political wisdom has been gained from stints at Queen’s University, Carleton University and Acadia University as well as being on secondment to the federal government’s Privy Council Office for two years.

Article content

Last weekend, when CBC reporter Deana Sumanac-Johnson was reporting on Carney meeting the Norwegian prime minister, it was Turnbull who was providing insight. When CTV did a piece on U.S.-Canada trade talks, it was Turnbull’s expertise that was needed. And when Bloomberg News was looking at the Doug Ford factor in those trade talks, it was Turnbull discussing Ford’s “precarious” position.

Article content

Another oft-quoted political pundit, especially when it concerns Alberta and Canada, is Duane Bratt, a professor at Calgary’s Mount Royal University whose specialty is international relations and Canadian public policy.