Delay Journalism Practice until Academic Scholarship is Mastered

Abstract

This article argues that Australian journalists turned academics must prioritise learning the scholarship of the academy—the theorising and testing of ideas—ahead of journalism practice at the start of their academic careers. While acknowledging that some parts of journalism practice are winning acknowledgement as research outcomes in many academic communities, this article suggests that there are areas within a journalist’s professional field of practice that will continue to struggle to find acceptance as research. This article suggests that the narrow definition of what constitutes journalism as research is held not only by many people holding senior roles within Australian universities, but also those who hold positions of power within journalism faculties. This article suggests that journalists turned academics abandon their journalism, briefly, while they learn the vocabulary and skills required to have their work seen as genuine research, and that generally means after finalising a PhD.