The B.C. Liberals have announced Steve Darling, former morning anchor for Global television, as the party's new candidate for Burnaby-Lougheed.

"I am honoured to be running for the B.C. Liberals in the riding of Burnaby-Lougheed. It's an exciting time for me, my family and our province as well," Darling said in a written release.

"For the past 18 years I have gone to work in Burnaby, telling stories that matter. Now, I'm looking forward to fighting for the priorities that matter, such as good jobs, a strong economy and world-class services for young families like my own. "

Darling was let go from Global in early October, after having worked there for almost two decades.

He follows former Global senior reporter Jas Johal, who also recently joined the B.C. Liberals.

As for the politics of <a href="https://twitter.com/stevedarling">@stevedarling</a> running? NDP won Burnaby-Lougheed by 743 votes in '13. Incumbent stepping down. He has a serious shot. —@j_mcelroy

"For 18 years, Steve has been telling the stories of everyday British Columbians, and standing up for the little guy," said Premier Christy Clark in a written release.

"Now, he's stepping up and fighting for the values that built this province, because he's seen how important they are for himself."

Darling replaces Randy Rinaldo as the candidate for Burnaby-Lougheed. Rinaldo withdrew from the race in May after some controversial tweets he had sent resurfaced.

In the last election, the B.C. NDP's Jane Shin won in that riding by 743 votes. She is stepping down and won't be running in the upcoming election on May 9, 2017.

Katrina Chen, a trustee with the Burnaby School Board, will be running in her place as NDP candidate.

Reaction on social media

Many on social media reacted to the announcement by criticizing Darling for crossing into politics from a profession meant to produce unbiased reporting.

Always cringe when I see news people go into politics. They are supposed to be neutral. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash">#bcpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/rSpZRuYZeV">https://t.co/rSpZRuYZeV</a> —@ElCanaco

Journalists crossing to politics betray their profession, biasing it. Short term, selfish gain; longterm public loss. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash">#bcpoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash">#cdnpoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/msm?src=hash">#msm</a> —@WestBench

First Jas Johal and now this. In case you were wondering if BC media playing favourites. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bcpoli?src=hash">#bcpoli</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/journalism?src=hash">#journalism</a> <a href="https://t.co/DBNNq9MdDL">https://t.co/DBNNq9MdDL</a> —@cmarkevich

Others were more enthusiastic.