Elly Alboim
In Memoriam
The School of Journalism and Communication is deeply saddened to share the news of the sudden passing of our longest-serving faculty member, Elly Alboim.
Elly passed away on Feb. 7, 2026, as a result of heart failure. We extended our condolences to his wife Kathy Alboim, their three children and seven grandchildren.
Elly had been teaching journalism at Carleton since 1980. Over the years, he juggled his teaching responsibilities at Carleton with his role as Ottawa Bureau Chief for CBC News (from 1977 to 1993) and his position with the strategic communications firm Earnscliffe Strategies (from 1993 to present).
Elly will be dearly missed here at Carleton, where he was a wise and dedicated mentor to generations of young journalists. You can read the journalism program’s tribute to Elly on our website.
We encourage you to share your memories of Elly using the form below.
“Elly had a huge impact in so many ways and in so many fields. He impacted every journalist who passed his way, both in the Ottawa bureau he so cherished, and at Carleton with the impact he had on generations of journalists…”
– Peter Mansbridge, the CBC’s longtime anchor and chief political editor.
Share Your Memories
Required
Memories of Elly
Thank you Elly
Occasionally, if we’re lucky, we encounter people in our lives who change how we think. Elly was one of those for me. In my role as a CBC host, I draw on his wisdom every day of my life. What is this story really about? How is my framing? Where are my blind spots? What’s the crux of this issue? He showed how to be crusty without being unkind. He made me a vastly better journalist, but I think he made me a better person, too. May his memory be a blessing.
It’s been more than 30 years…
…since I took Elly’s political reporting class, but I still remember being a bit afraid of him, and also inspired to strive for perfection (or as close as I could get). He was tough, but it felt like he was in our corner cheering us on.
Two weeks ago I submitted
Two weeks ago I submitted my first assignment in Elly’s public policy class, which I did very poorly on because I somehow misunderstood the assignment. Elly was very kind when I approached him about it in class and granted me a redo. It’s embarrassing as a fourth-year to make mistakes like this, but our conversation never made way for shame or embarrassment. I’ve felt my fair share of uncertainty during my four years of journalism school, but Elly’s pragmatic style of teaching made me feel competent. It was such a pleasure to learn from him in the political reporting class last semester. His guidance on the stories I submitted are a kindness I’ll never forget.