As Global News’ senior political columnist and host of The Mike Smyth Show, he delivers unparalleled scrutiny of British Columbia’s governance. With 150+ annual interviews conducted from the Legislative Press Gallery, Smyth specializes in:
Successful story angles often involve:
Mike Smyth has cemented his reputation as one of British Columbia’s most incisive political journalists through a 25-year career blending newspaper column rigor with broadcast immediacy. After cutting his teeth as a provincial affairs reporter for The Vancouver Sun in the late 1990s, he transitioned to opinion writing at The Province, where his columns dissecting BC Liberal Party scandals and NDP policy shifts became required reading for policymakers. His 2015 move to host The Mike Smyth Show on 730 CKNW marked a strategic pivot to real-time accountability journalism, leveraging his legislative press gallery access to grill premiers and opposition leaders alike.
This August 2021 analysis dissected NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s contradictory stance on pandemic-era elections. Smyth juxtaposed Singh’s 2020 criticism of BC’s snap election with his 2021 federal campaign push, obtaining exclusive comments from Liberal strategists and epidemiologists. The piece’s impact reverberated beyond BC, cited in The Globe and Mail’s national election coverage as a case study in political opportunism.
Methodologically, Smyth employed his trademark “follow the timeline” approach – reconstructing Singh’s public statements through Hansard records, press conference transcripts, and party emails leaked to his show. This forensic examination of political rhetoric has become a hallmark of his work, particularly in holding cross-jurisdictional figures accountable.
In this May 2021 deep dive, Smyth revealed how US Congressional lobbying threatened BC’s $3 billion cruise sector. Through FOI requests to Transport Canada and interviews with port authorities, he demonstrated how Alaska-bound ships bypassing BC ports could erase 7,000 local jobs. The article’s publication coincided with Smyth’s on-air debates with Washington State legislators, amplifying its policy impact.
What distinguishes this piece is its synthesis of macroeconomic data with human stories – Smyth profiled a Victoria tour operator facing bankruptcy and a Juneau dockworker fearful of automation. This dual lens of systemic analysis and personal narrative characterizes his approach to complex business/environment stories.
Smyth’s March 2020 exclusive interview with Premier John Horgan about Finance Minister Carole James’ Parkinson’s diagnosis showcased his ability to navigate sensitive health/politics intersections. The piece balanced Horgan’s personal recollections with analysis of how James’ absence would impact the 2021 budget, quoting three backbench MLAs on background.
Notably, Smyth obtained permission to publish Horgan’s emotional description of learning the diagnosis – “like a body blow” – while maintaining journalistic distance through counterpoints from medical ethicists. This tightrope walk between access and objectivity remains a case study in political reporting.
Smyth prioritizes stories exposing gaps between political rhetoric and measurable outcomes. A successful pitch might highlight discrepancies in municipal climate pledges versus infrastructure spending, akin to his 2023 series on Vancouver’s unfulfilled green transit promises. Provide FOI-obtained budget documents or internal memos showing conflicting priorities.
His coverage of federal carbon pricing focused exclusively on BC’s revenue recycling mechanism – a model replicated in only three provinces. When pitching national trends, demonstrate specific BC impacts through Statistics Canada sub-provincial data or sector-specific employment figures.
Smyth frequently references BC’s 1990s fiscal crises when analyzing current debt levels. Pitches comparing contemporary energy projects to 1980s megaproject failures (Site C vs. Revelstoke Dam overruns) resonate with his editorial approach. Include archival materials from legislative libraries or union archives.
While openly critical of all parties, Smyth dismisses overtly ideological think tank studies. A 2022 rejection of Fraser Institute mining subsidies analysis noted: “Think tanks must declare all corporate donors beyond standard annual reports.” Instead, pitch university-led research with full methodology disclosures.
His deepest policy dives coincide with legislative committee hearings. Monitor BC’s committee calendar, targeting pitches around estimates debates or bill clause reviews. For example, a successful 2024 pitch on school nutrition programs aligned with Education Committee’s May session.
Won for his series “Where Did the Money Go?” tracking pandemic relief fund disbursements. Judges noted Smyth’s “relentless cross-referencing of ministry spreadsheets against municipal audit reports” uncovered $214 million in unaccounted small business grants. The Webster Awards, considered BC’s Pulitzer equivalent, recognize this as landmark accountability journalism.
Bestowed for transforming legislative reporting through daily question period livestreams with real-time fact-checking chyrons. The Radio Television Digital News Association specifically cited Smyth’s 2023 innovation of overlaying MLAs’ voting records during policy debates.
His investigation into coastal gaslink protest policing costs made the CAJ’s Top 5 for Data Journalism. Smyth partnered with First Nations technology firms to map RCMP deployment patterns against traditional territory boundaries – a methodology now taught at UBC’s journalism school.
