The first clue that it was not an academic article was the fact that the opinion was published in a "news journal", as you call it.

In english, "academic journal" has a particular meaning. It is not comparable to "journal" in french, which means "newspaper" or magazine.

No one has ever mistaken Macleans for an academic journal. It is a weekly magazine and is not peer reviewed.

He was representing himself, not his institution.