It's interesting that someone most known as a journalist is up for literature, but then nominees aren't only decided by the Nobel panel from what I know.
From the Nobel site:
Qualified Nominators
The right to submit proposals for the award of a Nobel Prize in Literature shall, by statute, be enjoyed by:
1. Members of the Swedish Academy and of other academies, institutions and societies which are similar to it in construction and purpose;
2. Professors of literature and of linguistics at universities and university colleges;
3. Previous Nobel Laureates in Literature;
4. Presidents of those societies of authors that are representative of the literary production in their respective countries."
I learned about the process which is cool.