“One of the principal roles of journalism is to hold individuals and power to account, including governments and institutions, on behalf of taxpayers,” says King’s Assistant Professor Pauline Dakin. “But journalism’s relationship with government is shifting in ways that have implications for the public.”
On November 5, 2025, King’s School of Journalism, Writing & Publishing is hosting a panel to explore how governments and journalists interact and how that’s evolving.
“Can We Talk? The Uneasy Relationship between Journalism and Government” will be moderated by Dakin in a conversation about the impact on public knowledge and discourse when information access is limited and why that matters; and what could improve the flow of information and the relationship between government and journalism.
“Journalists in Nova Scotia and across the country say there’s an increasing lack of communication and openness from government at all levels,” says Dakin. “It all makes it hard for journalists to do their job of informing the public. And that makes it hard for the public to be informed voters.”
Dakin will be joined by panelists Alex Marland, Jean Laroche and Laura Lee Langley. They’ll talk about why the relationship between government and journalism is so critical for a healthy democracy.
This is an important event for anyone who cares about democratic governance, open debate, and what could be done to improve the flow of information.
Panelists
Laura Lee Langley is president of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Before joining ACOA, she served for 27 years in the Nova Scotia Public Service, most of that time in the senior ranks. Since 2016, she served as Deputy Minister of the Office of the Nova Scotia Premier, Deputy Minister of Treasury Board, Clerk of the Executive Council, N.S. Public Service Commissioner, Head of the Nova Scotia Public Service, and the CEO of Communications Nova Scotia, concurrently. Prior to this, she led other departments in a Deputy or Associate Deputy Minister role.
Jean Laroche is a retired CBC reporter who spent 30 of his almost 40 years at the public broadcaster at Province House covering the actions of eight Nova Scotia premiers, including the current one.
Alex Marland is the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Acadia University. An award-winning scholar of Canadian politics and former public servant, he is the author of Brand Command, Whipped, and the new No I in Team: Party Loyalty in Canada. His research explores how governments and parties manage information, enforce message discipline and constrain elected representatives. A frequent media commentator, he provides insight into the evolving relationship between politics, journalism and democratic accountability.
Moderator
Assistant Professor Pauline Dakin was formerly the Senior Producer of Current Affairs Programming (Nova Scotia) at CBC Radio, health reporter for CBC National News and the host of the regional documentary program Atlantic Voice. Dakin’s award-winning book Run, Hide, Repeat: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood (Penguin-Random House Canada) was adapted by CBC Podcasts and named one of the top podcasts of 2022 by Amazon. Her work has been recognized with many regional, national and international awards, including a citation of merit from Canada’s top journalism prize, The Michener Awards. She is a three-time recipient of fellowships from the National Press Foundation in Washington and a fellow of the MIT/Knight Science Journalism program on medical evidence in Cambridge, Mass.
