Canadian journalism is in deep trouble – academics can help

Canadian journalism is having a rough time.

Local news outlets are shuttering at a horrifying rate and layoff announcements have become routine.

With a massive drop in advertising revenue and waning subscriptions, outlets have struggled to attract advertisers that have shifted to Big Tech’s microtargeting as a more efficient means of reaching consumers.

In the big picture, the uncertain fate of Canada’s fourth estate is bound to have long-standing implications for our democracy.

It means that Canadians are generally receiving lower quality information and wide swathes of the country lack well-resourced journalists that can ask critical questions of the powerful. Put simply, less journalists in the country means less accountability and transparency. And in an international context where the notion of expertise itself is routinely questioned and undermined, weak journalism only accentuates anti-democratic movements.

Although the crisis is not nearly as dire for universities, Canadian higher education is in a similar boat. Government funding continues to wane, and universities are increasingly pressured to demonstrate the economic relevance of their activities.

And whether they know it or not, Canadian academics and journalists need each other.

They need each other because they’re two of the only institutions that are dedicated to the pursuit of facts when it’s become fashionable and profitable to dismiss them. It’s not a coincidence that the two fields are reliable targets of anti-democratic movements. But they also need each other because together they can weather their respective storms by addressing each other’s weaknesses.

Academics have the luxury of being able to delve deeply, sometimes spending an entire career dedicated to a single topic. Professional researchers know which questions to ask, and which methods can most effectively answer those questions. They’re especially effective at collecting mounds of data and using their intellectual curiosity to ask new questions from different angles. However, despite the immense benefit to society in producing new knowledge, the fruits of the academy are far too often lurking behind paywalls or otherwise inaccessible to the public.

The result is something unfortunate: research that’s generously subsidized by the public isn’t necessarily consumed by the public in a meaningful way.

What academics desperately need is a revitalized tradition of public intellectualism and better conduits for public engagement.

Meanwhile, journalists are gifted storytellers, well-versed in the art of taking something complex and explaining its significance in an accessible way. Although they rely on knowledge and expertise to inform readers, they also know that public attention is garnered by the human element of stories and by explaining potential impacts on our daily lives.

However, given the sheer speed of the news cycle and a lack of resources for investigative reporting, journalists aren’t always able to dive as deeply into issues as they’d like.

Although projects that bridge academics and journalists are far from novel, greater collaboration can substantially address each of their weaknesses, in turn strengthening the quality of public discourse and our democracy.

As a junior academic, I see promising opportunities for a new generation to rethink the purpose of the academy and build stronger bridges.

First and foremost, academics can stop perpetuating needless hierarchies and gatekeeping. Throughout my (admittedly short) academic career, I’ve consistently heard whispers that public intellectuals aren’t “real” scholars, or that they’re engaging in a lesser form of work. Unfortunately, there’s a perception that catering to a mainstream audience necessarily entails diminishing the academic rigour expected at conferences and in peer-review. Similarly, public engagement is sometimes seen as a distraction from what academics are supposed to be spending their time doing: focusing on their research and publishing.

This needs to stop.

Some academics believe quite earnestly that their primary role is contributing to their discipline. But counting peer-reviewed publications is too narrow an understanding of our role and impact in the world. The quality of research is obviously important, but connecting quality research with the people that can use it outside of the academic world is also important.

Second, if we’re interested in improving the state of public discourse, academics shouldn’t face career disincentives for public engagement. As it stands, academic culture all too often encourages us to speak amongst ourselves in highly specialized venues, rather than finding ways to connect with non-academics. By formally including journalists in research projects, we can gradually change that culture by encouraging an academic reflex of openness and engagement with others.

Journalists can play a pivotal role when it comes to knowledge mobilization, by partnering with academics that are gathering and analyzing data that are timely. It’s a win-win-win situation. Academics win because their research will reach the people and places that need it most. Journalists win because they get access to fresh data and analysis that can be the raw materials for new and interesting stories. Society wins because knowledge isn’t siloed and can be accessed by as many people as possible.

In addition to knowledge mobilization, journalists can also enrich some of the basics of academic research and writing. For example, what’s been described as ‘data journalism’ often includes grappling with troves of data and using digital tools to organize, analyze, and present them. Although academic research methods have been expanding over time, journalists are often at the forefront of finding new forms of data and new tools to make sense of them. Perhaps more controversially, writing in a clear and accessible manner isn’t necessarily a trademark of the academic world. By contrast, journalists can teach us an important lesson about informing the public: there’s no point in having a great idea if you can’t communicate it effectively.

Finally, there’s also a role to play for graduate programs (especially in the arts). They can easily add knowledge mobilization to their professional development offerings. Over the past few years, these programs have been offering formal training for skills that aren’t solely about research (like teaching). These opportunities can help graduates weather a rough job market after graduation, by boasting a wealth of transferrable skills.

Knowledge mobilization embodies many of these transferrable skills, something that will benefit junior scholars that either continue along the academic path or choose to seek non-academic employment. These skills can be as simple as multimedia literacy and a familiarity with alternative modes of communicating research.

Based on current trends, the crises in Canadian journalism and the academy aren’t going anywhere soon. For that reason, finding allies will be crucial for each of them charting a course to long-term sustainability.

Since academics and journalists have so much to complement one another in these challenging times, they can’t afford to ignore each other.

Dax D’Orazio is a postdoctoral fellow in the department of political studies at Queen’s University.