Impact through engagement? A critical self-reflection on the engaged journalism exchange

Journalism studies scholars have increasingly focused on finding ways to improve the profession and practice they have dedicated their academic careers to better understanding. This critical self-reflection reviews the ways that we have attempted to make our own academic work impactful on journalistic practice. We discuss the challenges, opportunities, successes, and failures of our efforts to both increase the impact of our academic research among journalism professionals, as well as to build better connections with journalists and publics so that we can better inform our research questions and priorities. Our efforts have been difficult to maintain, and their impact has been all but impossible to assess. Our experiences suggest that journalists rarely have the time or resources to listen and act on assessments from academics, and academics rarely have the time, resources, incentives, or patience to find the best paths to sharing what they learn in ways that may lead to change in journalism practices'. In light of these circumstances, we argue that the questions and obstacles journalism scholars face when it comes to improving the impact of their work among media practitioners and community members eerily mirrors the questions and obstacles journalists face when it comes to improving the impact of their work among the public. We conclude by calling for more humility, honesty, and help when it comes to efforts to bridge the gap between journalism studies and practice.