Journalism and Academic Writing Sibling Rivalry or Kissing Cousins?

The similarities between good journalism and academic writing, each based on intellectual curiosity, rigorous research and thoughtful deliberation, advocate for journalism's inclusion in university tenure schemes. This family resemblance, however, has instead led to a greater regard for their differences, and each prefers to draw boundaries that exclude the other. Yet there is overlap as both journalism based on academic research and populist books by respected academics disseminate scholarly thought to a wider audience. Journalism's potential contribution to the three pillars of tenure-research, teaching and service signals the need for recognition to be accorded by universities to journalism as academic output.