How Academics Are Trying to Connect with Journalists

The challenges faced by journalists have technically feasible solutions, but these solutions often fail to reach those who could benefit most because they are primarily presented by academic scholars.

This information does not end up getting seen by the journalists that need these answers the most. While academics and journalists have rarely come together before, they are now joining to close the gap between academia and newsrooms through a combination of in-person meetings and research on given topics. Those that work within or with news organizations understand the issues that encompass the journalism industry. As newsrooms continue to shut down, the number of news deserts across the country continues to grow. With distrust of news at an all-time high, many newsrooms struggle with engaging their communities, most of all communities of color or other marginalized populations.

The scholars who study the journalism industry have a strong understanding of these issues as well. They have often focused on these challenges considering how they impact newsrooms and their staff. Scholars write hundreds of research articles every year to share insights on issues that impact newsrooms. Many also focus on the use of social media platforms for news engagement. The problem is that this research is often not consumed by everyday journalists. Indeed, journalists are often frustrated with academic research on their profession and its practices, finding it irrelevant or inaccessible. As a response to journalists not having academics being more accessible to newsrooms, an effort known as the Bridging Journalism Project was developed to look more closely at the issues that surround this gap.

The Bridging Journalism Project is grounded in research from about a dozen journalists and scholars, offering insights into why the gap between academics and journalists exists, along with solutions to bridge that divide. Academic research has struggled to connect with news organizations but some researchers have honed their focus on solving the real-world problems that journalists face, with the assistance of newsroom workers. These academics have been producing work that offers solutions to these challenges for years.

These challenges were also addressed by the Engaged Journalism Exchange, which was founded by Andrea Wenzel and Jacob Nelson. Wenzel is an associate professor of journalism at Temple University and Nelson is an associate professor of communication at the University of Utah; they are both writing books directly addressing the challenges that newsrooms face. Wenzel has written two books that focus on community-centered and antiracist journalism and Nelson has written one book that focuses on issues surrounding audience engagement. They are the outlier, though, in terms of building connections with people within the news industry. They have had their work highlighted in trade journals, but others have failed to bridge the gap in quite the same way. 

This is what motivated them to create the Engaged Journalism Exchange in 2019. Wenzel specifically wanted to organize gatherings to create a space where journalists could connect with professionals who dedicate their careers to researching and educating about journalism. She also wanted to share her experiences as a researcher who collaborates with journalists as well as what she has learned about what has worked well and what hasn’t. These gatherings have facilitated candid conversations about what those collaborations look like as well as what is truly needed to make those collaborations valuable to both parties.

Both in-person and virtual exchanges have explored topics such as crime, elections, immigrant community coverage, and building collaboration between communities and newsrooms. The latest exchange, which was held at the Association for Educators in Mass Communication and Journalism Conference, brought together over 40 scholars, journalists and consultants to address the gap between academic research and newsroom practices. Key discussions there included talk around strategies for collaborative research and building trust between academics and newsrooms. The event had a networking version of speed-dating, where attendees set the agenda in sessions and had short discussions amongst each other on funding, equity issues, and training for student journalists. The Engaged Journalism Exchange will reconvene again in August 2025.