A professor who ran UQAM's journalism program took unpaid leave for 2024 following revelations in the student newspaper Montreal Campus,” suggesting he would hide online gaming on his blog.
Patrick White published hyperlinks in his articles that would lead to online casino sites, homework scam sites or even a Ukrainian escort site, the Montreal Campus reported on Thursday.
According to research by another University of Montreal journalism professor, Jean-Hugues Roy, almost 113 publications had sponsored content. Of these, around sixty would have led to virtual casino sites.
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Patrick White
After four years at the top of the A-level course, Mr White applied for unpaid leave for 2024 for “personal, family and professional reasons”, the student newspaper learned.
“I realize that I made a mistake in accepting sponsored links on the site and I should never have had my name and image associated with them,” Mr. White responded in a statement.
According to him, the “meager income” from sponsored content allowed him to finance the maintenance of his website, which had existed for almost 20 years.
“I regret it today, I take full responsibility for it and the site is now permanently closed,” he said.
In addition, Mr. White's membership card in the Quebec Professional Association of Journalists (FPJQ) was suspended on Monday, an unusual practice, according to the organization's president.
“Despite this mistake on my part, I have always been close to the ethical principles that guide journalism, and this has in no way affected my work as a professor and communicator,” emphasized the teacher.