Journalistic versus academic writing is like comparing the right and left sides of the brain.
Although writing is considered to be a more creative activity, academic writing is about as left-brain as you get. You use high level words and complex sentences, a lot of which tends to be unnecessary, to prove some complicated thesis.
Journalistic writing on the other hand, needs to be simple and concise. Using simple words and structure allow the average reader to understand and take interest in it. There is also a range of creative ledes an author can use when constructing a story.
