I write for The Conversation because it is a receptive space in which to share my research and scholarly expertise with readers outside the academy. Other media outlets are more closely bound to the rapid news cycle. The Conversation fosters slow journalism, not necessarily driven by reactions to events. Yet it still provides a space for informed and insightful accounts of current stories that complement traditional media articles.

I’ve written for several newspapers and online sites, and there is a marked difference in how I can write for The Conversation in comparison. Traditional newspapers generally do not allow for breaking into explanations of theorists of gender, sexuality, or history. When I write for The Conversation, I know that marrying these scholarly ideas with real-world issues is what I’m uniquely positioned to do. While it can initially be a challenge to drop the dense language and structure of academic writing, it is liberating to show how these ideas really do matter. I believe they have the potential to change how wider society thinks about everything from politics to pop culture.

As print journalism struggles to survive, and conventional models of journalism are in flux with the wide availability of free sources of information, it is crucially important for The Conversation to prosper. In an era of fake news and sensationalist clickbait, the authority and rigour of curated academic perspectives on our past, present, and future have never had such a vital role to play.

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