What's next, their own newscast or newspaper?

Ontario's Liberal government has a love-hate relationship with the fourth estate.

Some officials intensely dislike the ink-stained wretches who ruin their mornings with negative stories in newspapers and over the airwaves about their beloved premier, ministers and MPPs.

Others can't wait to hire journalists.

The latest high-profile defector to the dark side is Neal Kelly, former managing editor of Global News and long-time producer of Focus Ontario, the popular provincial affairs program.

Kelly, one of the most respected figures in Queen's Park journalistic circles, has joined neophtye Energy Minister Donna Cansfield's staff as communications adviser. Cansfield can use the help as she has perhaps the trickiest portfolio in government.

He joins a slew of ex-journos now in the employ of the McGuintyites, including former CFTO newsman Leon Korbee, former CFRBer Danna O'Brien, former Global reporter Molly Finlay, former National Post writers Greg Crone and Peter Fitzpatrick, former Toronto Sun scribe Ciaran Ganley, former Citytv staffer Wilson Lee, former CBCer Andrew Hilton, and former Peterborough Examiner journalist Sean Hamilton.

One prominent former broadcaster in McGuinty's employ, Ben Chin, left last week on a leave of absence. The well-liked Chin, who worked for Citytv, CBC, CTV and Toronto 1, is running as the Liberal candidate in the upcoming by-election in Toronto-Danforth.

If, as most pundits expect, he loses in the NDP stronghold to New Democrat warhorse Peter Tabuns, Chin will be back at his old job at Queen's Park.

Because there's always room for one more journalist not filing nasty stories about the Liberals.