HACKADEMICS AT THE CHALKFACE

Abstract

The field of journalism studies is growing globally, and the training of journalists is increasingly conducted within higher education institutions at both undergraduate and postgraduate level, even in countries that previously eschewed university education of journalists. Journalism studies goes beyond the training and education of journalists to encompass scholarly inquiry into journalism. Much teaching of journalism within universities is now conducted by journalists who have switched to the academy and become known as “hackademics”. This article explores the extent to which such journalists-turned-journalism-educators also contribute to a deeper understanding of journalism by engaging in scholarly research. It is based on an empirical study of 65 hackademics in the United Kingdom and Ireland, whose experiences of academic research into journalism will be discussed within the context of the international literature.

Keywords:

• higher education
• journalism education
• journalism research
• journalism studies
• journalism training
• peer review
• Research Assessment Exercise (RAE)/Research Excellence Framework (REF)

Acknowledgements

To the AJE for support; to all respondents for taking part; to the University of Sheffield for study leave; to my colleagues for covering; to the reviewers and editor for helpful comments: thank you.