Shortchanging Citizens, Damaging the Profession: How Anthropology Disparages Journalism: A common refrain among academic anthropologists is this: "I never talk to journalists, they always get me wrong. I just can't trust them." Whenever I hear this my mind churns, "Then why don't you become the journalist and write it yourself?" Applied anthropologists are more inclined to write an occasional journalistic piece, but it's not viewed as a central focus of applied work. Again, why not become the seasoned journalist?
Is there a career danger for an anthropologist in wanting to be a relevant, publicly engaged writer? Maybe. [...]
One thing is certain. We need a new wave of writers and journalists, unafraid to do the most radical thing imaginable: simply describe reality. Their ranks will largely come from freethinkers, dissenting academics and bored mainstream journalists who rediscover what got them interested in anthropology in the first place, telling the truth.
[obrigado, João]
