Political Perspectives is produced by the students and faculty of Carleton University's School of Journalism and Communication, Canada's oldest journalism school.

15th
MAY

Ghosts of prime ministers past

Posted by padams under All

Paul Adams

As I was watching Brian Mulroney’s testimony on TV this morning I received an email drawing my attention to this recent letter to the Globe and Mail from Doug Gibson, who edited the memoirs of both Brian Mulroney and Paul Martin:

 

Toronto — Lysiane Gagnon (An Atypical Politician With A Pen – April 27) is unfair to Brian Mulroney when she includes him among Canadian politicians whose books were “written by professionals hired for the job.”

There is nothing wrong with using a ghostwriter; some of my best friends are ghostwriters. But credit must go to those who, like Mr. Mulroney, spend years working hard to write their own book. What he did was so remarkable that, as his editor, I decided to illustrate the hardcover edition’s endpapers with pages from his handwritten manuscript.

It would appear that Ms. Gagnon missed that edition of his Memoirs.

Publisher emeritus, Douglas Gibson Books

Paul Adams just learned this morning that he is one of Doug Gibson’s best friends. He is also a member of Carleton’s journalism faculty.