I don’t like it.
When anyone who has worked as a reporter/journalist for years or even decades takes a job with a political party, a government or runs as their candidate, I believe it damages the public’s view surrounding impartiality of the media.
Especially if he or she had covered politics!
Richard Zussman, former CBC and Global TV reporter announced Friday he’s running for the NDP in Saanich South. (Apparently, there was no nomination contest either: he was just appointed candidate by the party).
Zussman left Global in Nov. 2025 to become Vice-President of Public Affairs for Burson Canada Public Relations firm.
In the news business, we used to refer to reporters/journalists who gave up our hallowed careers of pursuing truth to do “corporate affairs” or work/run for a political party as “going over to the dark side”.
Zussman did both!
But he’s not alone: my first recollection of seeing that happen was when, during the 8-month Pacific Press strike of 1978=79, Hall Leiren quit the Vancouver Sun to become Premier Bill Bennett’s Press Secretary. Leiren was the Sun’s Victoria Bureau Chief .. and for four years, I was the bureau! LOL!
When Leiren went to the” dark side”, many expected I would become Bureau Chief after the strike ended. However for some reason, Sun Management were reportedly not happy that I not only covered the Legislature for the union’s Express strike newspaper, but also picked up bundles of papers at the bus depot, placed them in newsstands, hotel lobbies etc., collected the sales revenues and sent the money back to the union. 🙂
So the word was that I would be pulled out of Victoria once the strike ended, back to Vancouver, where they could assign me to “lesser” stories.
Luckily, BCTV had an opening at their Legislative Bureau exactly at that time; so I took Jack Webster’s personal advice, bought a new suit and applied. BCTV’s Cameron Bell and Keith Bradbury apparently saw something they believed would work: they offered me more money, profit-sharing and a company car, even though I had NEVER before done television reporting.
And thus began my 26-year career at BCTV.
Interestingly, Leiren and I remained friends: he was a wonderful person (we had also worked together for The Sun at Vancouver City Hall before the Legislative gig) … and after he joined Bennett, we would still laugh privately about the government “line” or “messaging” etc.
But now, seems to me too many media types are joining the “dark side”.
The worst examples, in my view, were Jim Munson, longtime CTV Parliament Hill reporter appointed Liberal Senator and Pamela Wallin of CTV and Mike Duffy of the CBC, both appointed Conservative Senators.
Their appointments always reminded me of a kind of “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” reward.
Locally, Global TV’s Randene Neill became Eby’s Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship; Catherine Pope, Councillor in North Vancouver District; Jas Johal, former BCTV and CTV reporter became a Liberal MLA; Steve Darling, former BCTV reporter went on to become a Port Coquitlam City Councillor; Peter Meisner, former Global journalist; and, former Vancouver Courier columnist Mike Klassen, are now Vancouver City Councillors.
Of course, maybe those who have gone to the “dark side” really want to make their communities better … but skeptics could easily wonder if they pushed their ideological agendas while working in the media, and are now seeking actual power to bring those beliefs into effect, or just going after the money and/or benefits.
It bothers me.
Especially when I read Zussman’s statement announcing his NDP candidacy:
““Things are tough for people right now, and Donald Trump’s trade war is making things harder. He is threatening B.C. jobs and putting pressure on families and businesses,” said Zussman in a release,” according to the Daily Hive. (Read the full story here: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/former-reporter-richard-zussman-bc-ndp).
Yech!
The reporter Zussman, I hope, would have put the feet to the fire of ANY politician who regurgitated like a Pavlovian pooch Premier Eby’s excuse for calling the provincial lection now!
As I, union spokesman during the BCTV 1998 strike, was famously quoted by the media after a prominent on-air staff member crossed our picket line: “I was surprised, because all we really have to sell in this business is our integrity and credibility.”
I don’t see going to the “dark side” as upholding those principles.
By the way, full disclosure: Richard Zussman and I have a family link. His father, David, is the brother of my cousin’s wife back East. David was a prominent federal Liberal advisor, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet in the Privy Council Office of Jean Chretien and Commissioner of the Public Service Commission and his wife Sheridan was Canada’s Competition Commissioner … and I visited with them way back when they first lived in Victoria and then in Ottawa as well.
When I retired, at only 61, I too had offers from the “dark side” … in both P.R. and politics. But I decided after 38 years as a reporter/journalist, I could never do either … and look at myself in the mirror!
So I will remain a journalist: from the first article I had published at 11 years old (a children’s book review) to my last blog … whenever that time comes.
And try to keep the light shining in.
Harv Oberfeld
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