Andrew Potter is a Canadian author and associate professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

. He is the former editor-in-chief of the ''

Ottawa Citizen The ''Ottawa Citizen'' is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. History Established as the Bytown ''Packet'' in 1845 by William Harris (journalist), William Harris, it was renamed the ''Ci ...

''; best known for co-authoring ''

The Rebel Sell ''The Rebel Sell: Why the Culture Can't be Jammed'' (released in the United States as ''Nation of Rebels: Why Counterculture Became Consumer Culture'') is a non-fiction book written by Canadian authors Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter in 2004. The ...

'' with

Joseph Heath Joseph Heath (born 1967) is a Canadian philosopher. He is professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto, where he was formerly the director of the '' Centre for Ethics''. He also teaches at the School of Public Policy and Governance. He ...

and for his 2010 book ''The Authenticity Hoax''. He was formerly director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada.

Early life and education

Potter was born in Teulon, Manitoba, and attended Glebe Collegiate Institute in

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

before graduating from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

with a BA in Philosophy, followed by MA and Ph.D. degrees in philosophy at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. He also spent three years as an assistant professor at

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Founded in 1964, the university is known for its Oxbridge college system, sma ...

. Potter completed postdoctoral work at the Centre de recherches en éthique (CREUM) at the

University of Montreal A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

after graduation.

Career

Potter taught philosophy at

in Peterborough, Ontario, from 2001 to 2004. He then left academia to become the National Editor at the ''

'', a daily newspaper. In 2010 Potter left the ''Ottawa Citizen'', when he was appointed Features Editor at ''

Canadian Business ''Canadian Business'' is the longest-publishing business magazine based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and founded in 1927. The print edition terminated in the end of 2016. Beginning in January 2017, the magazine was published online only. In Octob ...

'' in Toronto. From 2007 to 2012, Potter wrote a column for the Canadian national weekly news magazine ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

''. He also served as Director of the Montreal-based McGill Institute for the Study of Canada (MISC).' Potter returned to the ''Ottawa Citizen'' to become Managing Editor in 2011 and was promoted to Editor-In-Chief in December 2013. In 2013, Potter and the ''Ottawa Citizen'' were awarded the Michener Award for reporting that exposed the use of "robocalls" to mislead and harass voters during the 2011 federal election campaign. In March 2017, Potter published an article in ''Maclean's'' in which he talks about the lack of solidarity within Quebec society. This article was decried and denounced at Quebec's provincial legislature, and the McGill administration tweeted that Potter did not represent the university's views. A few days after his article's publication, Potter distanced himself from elements of it. Soon thereafter, he resigned from his position at MISC, while remaining an associate professor. Distinguished national affairs commentators including Paul Wells and former ''Maclean's'' national editor

Andrew Coyne James Andrew Coyne (born December 23, 1960) is a Canadian columnist with ''The Globe and Mail'' and a member of the ''At Issue'' panel on CBC's '' The National''. Previously, he has been national editor for ''Maclean's'' and a columnist with ''Nat ...

questioned or condemned the backlash, specifically the perceived yielding to political pressure by an academic institution.

Academic interests

Potter's academic background is in metaphysics and political philosophy, post-secondary educational policy, branding, consumerism, and popular culture. He maintains an interest in technology and the future of the news media.

Selected publications

The Authenticity Hoax

"How a snowstorm exposed Quebec’s real problem: social malaise"

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Andrew Living people Ottawa Citizen people Canadian newspaper editors Canadian male journalists Maclean's writers and editors 1972 births Canadian academic administrators Academic staff of McGill University Philosophers of culture 21st-century Canadian philosophers Metaphysicians Canadian political philosophers Branding theorists Popular culture studies Academic staff of Trent University University of Toronto alumni