Canadian Press’ Rob Russo is leaving his position as the Ottawa bureau chief. Russo has been at the helm of the bureau since 2003 and he was awarded the Charles Lynch Award for lifetime achievement as a Parliamentary journalist in 2010.

In an e-mail to J-Source, Russo explained his decision to leave the news wire. 

Canadian Press’ Rob Russo is leaving his position as the Ottawa bureau chief. Russo has been at the helm of the bureau since 2003 and he was awarded the Charles Lynch Award for lifetime achievement as a Parliamentary journalist in 2010.

In an e-mail to J-Source, Russo explained his decision to leave the news wire. 

"Perhaps I'm a journalistic freak. I'm too young to retire. No one has given me the undignified nudge. I've no new job, but I hope I will have one once I get a rest," he said. "The truth is that CP is now in a position to command the high-ground of news service journalism after some rough years. It's well led and has solid and committed ownership. And the Ottawa bureau will be staffed by some first-rate reporters for years. If I was ever going to try something else, now is the time."

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He began his career with Canadian Press in Toronto, served as its Montreal English Bureau Chief and spent seven years as the Washington correspondent for CP during the Clinton and Bush administrations. Under Russo's editorial direction, Canadian Press journalists Jennifer Ditchburn and Heather Scoffield received a National Newspaper Award for their investigative reporting in 2011. 

"He has transformed the bureau into the nonpareil news machine on Parliament Hill," said Canadian Press editor-in-chief Scott White. "While I'm sure you’re just as sad as I am that Rob is leaving CP, we are lucky he has helped build a legacy of excellence and a team that is ready and extremely able to carry on the type of journalism that has made our Ottawa report the best in the industry."

Here is some of the reaction from journalists upon learning of his departure: