Featured Experts: Dr. Patrick Leblond, University of Ottawa
Professor Patrick Leblond is a regular contributor to national and international media.
Fields of expertise: International political economy, Global economic governance, International trade, International finance and money, European and North American economic integration, CETA.
Contact info: pleblond@uottawa.ca
EUCAnet invited Patrick Leblond to share some tips and advice about his outreach expertise:
“Keep answers short! Don’t get bogged down in details (keep it a high level but indicate that the issue in question is complex). Assume that the viewer or listener does not know much, if anything, about the topic. Provide a concrete example to support your point, something that people can relate to. It is okay not to know something; if so, then redirect your answer to what you know. I used to prepare for hours for one radio or TV interview. Then I realized that it was a waste of time. If you get a call, it is because you are the expert (if not, then say no to the interview request). One should have enough knowledge about a topic to talk about it for five minutes. Finally, Canadian media always ask about what an issue means for Canada.”
Why engaging with media?
“Because it is important to explain to the “public” what is going on in the world and what it means for people’s everyday life, today or in the future. As an academic, I see my job as providing nuance on issues on which I have expertise (nothing is ever black and white) and try to support my explanations with basic facts (statistics or examples).”
For more information about the media appearances and contributions of our academic experts, please visit the following page.
