On Friday, I wrote a column for CJR challenging journalistic assessments of the prospects for third parties, which prompted a reply from National Journal’s Ron Fournier this morning. I have a new column up that responds to Fournier and offers five additional points that I think journalists should consider in assessing the prospects for successful third party challenges. Here’s how it begins:

National Journal’s Ron Fournier has posted a gracious reply to my CJR column challenging what I considered to be his excessively optimistic estimates of the likelihood of a successful third party or serious third party presidential contender. I’m very encouraged by the exchange that we’ve had, which reflects the possibilities for engagement and collaboration between journalism and political science. In this case, political science research has a different perspective than the operatives and professionals, as Fournier notes.

Read the whole thing for more.