Hunter S. Thompson | Introduction to Journalism Introduction to Journalism August 3, 2008 at 7:46 pm fish4002 Leave a comment Hunter S. Thompson is the founder of Gonzo journalism. According to Wikipedia “Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism which is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative. The style tends to blend factual and fictional elements to emphasize an underlying message and engage the reader:” Most importantly is that Hunter uses satire along with events that happen to him to drive home his point. After asking three people in class Caty Livgni, John Giangrasso and Amy Eiferman they all agreed that when a journalist puts himself in the middle of a story you have a better understanding of the events making for a better article. Hunter was no exception to this in his first book about the Hells Angels he put himself into the biker gang when many Americans feared them due to the crimes they committed. The NY Times was impressed with what Thompson did stating he entered “a world most of us would never dare encounter:” Many of his non-fiction writing went noticed and Hunter even appeared in Rolling Stone magazine.

Another important part of Thompson was his use of drugs which is talked about in much of his articles and is one of the substances he uses in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas the film as well as the book. One could make the case that Hunter’s drug use made him more creative and lead to many of the great books and articles that are out today. Although Amy had a disdain for drugs she said that many musicians have used drugs for creativity but shouldnt be a free pass to do drugs. John and Cathy both agreed that drug use was wrong and that there should be no excuse for using them. One of his books Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would go on to be a famous movie starring Johnny Depp as Thompson in his persona Raoul Duke. One of Thompson key ideas is that he uses many different names when writing for articles for Rolling stone or any other magazine. The film today has become a cult classic among many persons although it did not recieve good reviews from the critics while it was in theaters. During his time at Rolling Stone Hunter amassed a bunch of articles together and wrote about the 1972 political campaign which was intitled Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72.

At this time in history there was a huge counter culture that clashed with the administration of Richard Nixon and the norms of society. If there was one man Hunter hated it would have to be Richard Nixon stating “For years I’ve regarded his existence as a monument to all the rancid genes and broken chromosomes that corrupt the possibilities of the American Dream; he was a foul caricature of himself, a man with no soul, no inner convictions, with the integrity of a hyena and the style of a poison toad”. One of the main focus of the book and the articles were on the campaign of George McGovern the democratic challenger to Nixon in 1972. He was the antithesis to Nixon and was in support of amnesty of those who left the country due to dodging the draft, a lax drug policy, on top of a pro life sentiment. This was used against McGovern in a campaign strategy by Nixon by referring to McGovern’s campaign as the three A’s amnesty, abortion, and acid. Thompson actually liked McGovern but could see the writing on the wall, Thompson was never a fan of the politician but did appreciate what McGovern was standing for which was the opposite of Nixon.

Today is another story although Thompson is dead we have another presidential race that mimics 72 in the fact that one candidate represents the past administration while the other represents a change in American politics. Barack Obama is a young fresh face in american polotics a junior senator from the state of Illinois going against John McCain a senior senator from Arizona who was a war hero from vietnam. The fact that McCain represents an old administration that is vastly unpopular it is easy to draw reference to Nixon, while many of the liberal positions of Barack can be compared to McGovern (McGovern today has endoresed Barack for president). This point in American history we are at a point were the republicans once again have lost a large source of power and the country will soon make a shift to the other side of the political fence. The campaign of Obama has shaken the country and people are asking the question if he represents the new ideas of the young and the hopes of tommorow. The question is asked can he win? Will the nation be ready for an African American president? John was asked this question and responded with an overwhelming ” there is no way he can loose because of the money he is racking in and the failures of the Bush administration”.

Cathy had another response believing that many Americans wouldnt vote for Barack due to the race issue. Amy on the other hand agreed with John and said that Barack would win in the fall. Thompson showed much contempt for he Bush administration towards the end of his life and would say that Bush might even be worse than Nixon himself. It would be anyone’s guess if Thompson would have supported Obama. Many believe that Obama is the anti-thesis to Bush administration and that would he would be the politican that Thompson would suupport. Books By Thompson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail ’72 Hell’s Angels” The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs -Matt Fischofer Gonzo journalism in SOURCES FAQ Membership Form Affiliate Program Subscriptions Submit a news release or event Sources Shop Media Names & Numbers Parliamentary Names & Numbers Universities & Colleges Speakers Authors Sources Bookshelf Sources Select Resources Sources Newsstand Twitter Media Blogs Complete Topic Index Topics by Category News release topic index Français Español Deutsch Download PDFs Gonzo journalism The "Gonzo fist," characterized by two thumbs and four fingers, was originally used in Hunter S.

Thompson's 1970 campaign for sheriff of Aspen, Colorado . It has become a symbol of Thompson and Gonzo journalism as a whole. Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative . The word Gonzo was first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson , who later popularized the style. The term has since been applied to other subjective artistic endeavors. Gonzo journalism tends to favor style over accuracy and often uses personal experiences and emotions to provide context for the topic or event being covered. It disregards the 'polished' edited product favored by newspaper media and strives for a more gritty approach. Use of quotations, sarcasm , humor , exaggeration, and profanity is common. Contents 8 External links [ edit ] Origin of the term The term "Gonzo" was first used in connection with Hunter S. Thompson by The Boston Globe magazine editor Bill Cardoso in 1970.

He described Thompson's " The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved ," which was written for the June 1970 Scanlan's Monthly , as "pure Gonzo journalism." [1] Cardoso claimed that "Gonzo" was South Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after an all-night drinking marathon. [2] He also claimed that it was a corruption of the French Canadian word "gonzeaux," which means "shining path," although this is disputed. [3] Another speculation is that the word may have been inspired by the 1960 hit song "Gonzo" by New Orleans rhythm and blues pianist James Booker . This last possibility seems to be supported by the 2007 oral biography of Thompson, which states that the term is taken from a song by Booker; [4] though, it does not explain why Thompson or Cardoso would have chosen the term to describe Thompson's journalism. According to a Greg Johnson biographical note on Booker, [5] the song title "Gonzo" comes from a character in a movie called The Pusher, [6] which in turn may have been inspired by a 1956 Evan Hunter novel of the same title.

[ edit ] Hunter S. Thompson Thompson based his style on William Faulkner 's idea that "fiction is often the best fact." [7] While the things that Thompson wrote about are basically true, he used satirical devices to drive his points home. He often wrote about recreational drugs and alcohol use which added additional subjective flair to his reporting. The term "Gonzo" has also come into (sometimes pejorative ) use to describe journalism that is in the vein of Thompson's style, characterized by a drug-fueled stream of consciousness writing technique. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas followed the Mint 400 piece in 1971 and included a main character by the name of Raoul Duke , accompanied by his attorney, Dr. Gonzo . Although this book is considered a prime example of Gonzo journalism, Thompson regarded it as a failed experiment. [8] He had intended it to be an unedited record of everything he did as it happened, but he edited the book five times before publication. Thompson would instigate events himself, often in a prankish or belligerent manner, and then document both his actions and those of others.

Notoriously neglectful of deadlines, Thompson often greatly annoyed his editors because he often faxed articles late, too late to be edited but just in time to make the printers. Thompson wanted his work to be read as he wrote it, in its "true Gonzo" form. Historian Douglas Brinkley said Gonzo journalism requires virtually no rewriting and frequently uses transcribed interviews and verbatim telephone conversations. [9] "I don't get any satisfaction out of the old traditional journalist's view: 'I just covered the story. I just gave it a balanced view,'" Thompson said in an interview for the online edition of The Atlantic . "Objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long. You can't be objective about Nixon ." [ edit ] Other authors Thompson felt that objectivity in journalism was a myth. Gonzo journalism has now become a bona-fide style of writing that concerns itself with "telling it like it is," similar to the New Journalism of the 1960s, led primarily by Tom Wolfe and also championed by Lester Bangs , George Plimpton , Terry Southern , and John Birmingham .

[ edit ] Other uses In other contexts, Gonzo has come to mean "with reckless abandon," or, more broadly, "extreme." Gonzo porn refers to pornographic films which are filmed by a participant and, as such, have eliminated fictional plot and scripted dialogue and focus on the sex act. For parallel uses of Gonzo, see What Is Gonzo? [3] One of Jim Henson 's muppets, created by Dave Goelz, was named Gonzo the Great . Gonzo marketing also sprung from his work. Christopher Locke [10] wrote a book on the subject, and a London-based youth insight agency The Youth Conspiracy pioneered the use of this in its research methodology. [11] Gonzo journalism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Gonzo journalism Jump to: navigation , search "Gonzo" redirects here. For other uses, see Gonzo (disambiguation) The famous "Gonzo fist", originally used by Hunter S. Thompson in his 1970 campaign for sheriff of Aspen , Colorado . The fist has become a symbol of Thompson and Gonzo journalism as a whole.

This box: view • talk • edit Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism which is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative . The style tends to blend factual and fictional elements to emphasize an underlying message and engage the reader. The word Gonzo was first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S. Thompson , who later popularized the style. The term has since been applied to other subjective artistic endeavors. Gonzo journalism tends to favor style over accuracy and often uses personal experiences and emotions to provide context for the topic or event being covered. It disregards the 'polished' edited product favored by newspaper media and strives for the gritty factor. Use of quotations, sarcasm , humor , exaggeration, and even profanity is common. The use of Gonzo journalism suggests that journalism can be truthful without striving for objectivity and is loosely equivalent to an editorial . Contents 9 External links [ edit ] Origin of the term The term "Gonzo" in connection with Hunter S. Thompson was first used by Boston Globe magazine editor Bill Cardoso in 1970. He described Hunter S.

Thompson's " The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved ", which was written for the June 1970 Scanlan's Monthly , as "pure Gonzo journalism" [1] . Cardoso claimed that "gonzo" was South Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after an all night drinking marathon [2] . Cardoso also claimed that it was a corruption of the French Canadian word "gonzeaux", which means "shining path", although this is disputed [3] . In Italian, Gonzo is a common word for a gullible person, a "sucker" [1] . Another speculation is that the word may have been inspired by the 1960 hit song Gonzo by New Orleans R&B keyboardist James Booker . This last possibility seems to be supported by the 2007 oral biography of Hunter S. Thompson where it is stated that the term "Gonzo" is taken from a hit song by James Booker[ citation needed ] though it does not explain why Hunter Thompson or Bill Cardoso would have chosen the term to describe Thompson's journalism.

According to a Greg Johnson biographical note on James Booker [2] , the song title "Gonzo" comes from a 1960's character in a movie called The Pusher (IMDB page) , which in turn may have been inspired by a 1956 Evan Hunter (real name: Salvatore Albert Lombino, Italoamerican) novel by the same title. It remains a mystery who first used this word in American slang, and why. It is also unclear whether there is any relationship with the Muppet character Gonzo the Great , who first appeared in 1970, the same year Bill Cardoso coined the term "Gonzo journalism." [ edit ] Hunter S. Thompson Main article: Hunter S. Thompson Thompson based his style on William Faulkner 's idea that "fiction is often the best fact."[ citation needed ] While the things that Thompson writes about are basically true, he uses satirical devices to drive his points home. Thompson often wrote about recreational drugs and alcohol use which added additional subjective flair to his reporting.

The term "gonzo" has also come into (sometimes pejorative ) use to describe journalism (or generally any writing) that is broadly in the vein of Thompson's writing, characterized by a drug-fueled stream-of-consciousness technique. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream followed the Mint 400 piece in 1971 and included a main character by the name of Raoul Duke , accompanied by his attorney, Dr. Gonzo . Although this book is considered to be a prime example of gonzo journalism, Thompson said that it was a failed experiment. He had intended it to be an unedited record of everything he did as it happened, but he edited the book five times before it was eventually published.[ citation needed ] Thompson would instigate events himself, often in a prankish or belligerent manner, and then document both his actions and those of others. Notoriously neglectful of deadlines, Thompson often greatly annoyed his editors because he often faxed articles late, too late to be edited but just in time to make the printers. It is speculated that Thompson's work going to print unedited due to a late delivery was completely intentional.

Thompson wanted his work to be read as he wrote it, in its "true gonzo" form. "I don't get any satisfaction out of the old traditional journalist's view: 'I just covered the story. I just gave it a balanced view,'" Thompson said in an interview for the online edition of The Atlantic . "Objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long. You can't be objective about Nixon ." Historian Douglas Brinkley said gonzo journalism requires virtually no rewriting and frequently uses transcribed interviews and verbatim telephone conversations.[ citation needed ] [ edit ] Gonzo journalism by other authors Gonzo journalism can be seen as an offshoot of the New Journalism movement in the sixties, led primarily by Tom Wolfe , and also championed by Lester Bangs and George Plimpton . It has largely been subsumed into Creative nonfiction .[ citation needed ] Gonzo also occurs when an author cannot remove himself from the subject he investigates. In some cases -- such as tornado chasing , wherein most documenting is done by the person driving the car and holding the camera -- the gonzo element is inherent.

In most other cases, however, it is a deliberate and voluntary choice of the journalist, or the media firm for which he or she works. Thompson felt that objectivity in journalism was a myth. The term has now become a bona-fide style of writing that concerns itself with 'telling it like it is', not far from the New Journalism practiced by Tom Wolfe , Terry Southern and John Birmingham . Fratire author Tucker Max has also been recognized as using the gonzo style in his drunken, sexual stories. Contemporary styles of gonzo journalism have sprung up in the blog-o-sphere. Gonzo has also worked its way into cartoons targeting the 18-36 year old male demographic manifested in a character based on the late Hunter S Thompson. In fact, Hunter Thompson's famous quote "too weird to live and too rare to die" could have been directed toward Gonzo Journalism as a writing style. [ edit ] Symbol The Gonzo Fist, a two-thumbed symbol attributed to Thompson originally used as the slogan for his 1970 campaign for sheriff of Aspen, contains within the image a peyote button, the bud of a cactus plant that has hallucinogenic properties when ingested.

The fist is combined with the word "Gonzo" styled to form the hilt of a sword. [ edit ] Other uses In other contexts, gonzo has come to mean "with reckless abandon," or, more broadly, "extreme". Gonzo porn refers to pornographic films which are filmed by a participant, and as such have eliminated fictional plot and scripted dialogue and focus on the sex act. For parallel uses of gonzo, see What Is Gonzo? [4] . One of Jim Henson 's muppets was named Gonzo the Great , created by Dave Goelz. Gonzo marketing also sprung from his work. Christopher Locke [5] wrote a book on the subject, and a London-based youth insight agency, The Youth Conspiracy pioneered the use of this in their research methodology. [6] Gonzo - The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson DVD review | Cine Outsider Gonzo: a style of journalism which is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative. The style tends to blend factual and fictional elements to emphasize an underlying message and engage the reader.

Wikipedia I'll admit that my ears pricked when I first heard about Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, probably the year's most unambiguous film title. A long-time fan of Dr. Thompson's writing, my interest in the man was enhanced several degrees by the documentary work of his friend and associate of many years, Wayne Ewing, whose 2003 Breakfast With Hunter I previously proclaimed as THE Hunter S. Thompson documentary. It's a claim I began seeing made of this new film on the good Doctor's life, one whose scope is wider than Ewing's more personal, direct cinema piece. I'll make the same assumption I did at the start of my review of Breakfast With Hunter, that a good many of you know who Hunter S. Thompson is, have read at least some of his work and be aware of his sometimes wild life and consistent refusal to bow down to convention. For those new to the name (seriously, where have you been?) then I see little point in repeating myself, and you'll find a brief introduction in the Breakfast With Hunter review here . Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S.

Thompson is true to its title, providing as it does an overview of Hunter's writing career and colourful private life, from his first journalistic assignments to his suicide in 2005. Following the documentary portrait structure almost to the letter, it kicks off with some brief sound bites and Hunter's literary response to the 9/11 attacks, then settles down for a chronological trip through his career by way of newly shot interviews, archive footage and photographs, audio recordings, staged reconstructions, film extracts, book readings, and footage borrowed from other documentary works, Ewing's included. As an introduction to Hunter and his work, Gonzo does its job well, being a smartly assembled and enjoyable breeze through a career that, in order to cover in the sort of detail the subject really demands, would require at least another couple of hours of screen time. The interviews in particular are both enjoyable and intermittently surprising – I was expecting to hear from associates like artist Ralph Steadman and Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner, but to hear tributes from the likes of ex-President Jimmy Carter and Nixon speech writer Pat Buchanan genuinely caught be on the hop.

Extracts from Hunter's work, meanwhile, are read by Johnny Depp, who in preparation for his role in Terry Gilliam's film adaptation of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas spent enough time in Thompson's company for the two to become good friends – it was Depp who footed the considerable bill for his elaborate funeral (the preparations for which are detailed in Wayne Ewing's When I Die ). Pleasingly, all of the documentaries sourced are credited on the clips themselves, making it easier to chase up the originals if you're hooked by the extracts. A few were actually new to me, the most eye-opening of which has Hunter making an early career appearance on the TV show To Tell the Truth, which provides a rare glimpse of a quieter, more self-conscious Hunter who has yet to explore his wilder side. While the span of its coverage is considerably greater, the area where Gonzo inevitably loses out to Breakfast with Hunter is in the latter film's intimate relationship with its subject, an area where direct cinema almost always triumphs over the more formal documentary style.

The included songs are all appropriate to Hunter's taste and the era being portrayed, but in the second half the film develops an infuriating habit of matching their lyrics to twists in the story, so when Thomas Eagleton is revealed to have had shock therapy we get Little Anthony and The Imperials singing "We'll I think I'm going out of my head," when George McGovern wins the party nomination against all odds, Hot Chocolate pipe up with "I believe in miracles", when biographer Douglas Brinkley talks about the contradiction of Hunter's dual role as outlaw and responsible family man we hear The Clovers cooing "Devil or angel, I can't make up my mind," and when Hunter buys a boat, Lyle Lovett kicks in with "If I had a boat, I'd go out on the ocean..." I would have genuinely screamed out loud at the use of Spirit in the Sky as the preparations are made for Hunter's funeral ("When I die and they lay me to rest...") were it not for the knowledge that this was one of his favourite songs.

That there are gaps in the story is an inevitable consequence of compressing the details of a life this full into a two-hour running time, so there's no real coverage of Hunter's later campaigning work on behalf of his local community or his very vocal support for Lisl Auman, a woman convicted of murder on the shakiest of evidence and who credits Hunter as instrumental in securing her freedom (the case was covered by Ewing in his 2006 documentary Free Lisl: Fear & Loathing in Denver ). Other omissions appear to have been down to concern about legal issues – part of the pivotal confrontation between Hunter and director Alex Cox from Breakfast With Hunter is included, but Cox is neither shown nor named – while the replacement of Johnny Depp's delivery of the famous Wave speech from the film version of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas with a new reading by the actor was driven by Depp's conviction that he hadn't nailed the speech properly in the film. I guess we'll have to disagree on that one. But these are small complaints for a film that largely delivers on its title and provides a comprehensive overview of Hunter's life and work, and does so in entertaining and informative fashion.

The rarer archive material, the interviews and the sheer breadth of the coverage make this the perfect introduction to the man and his writings, and if it persuades a few novices to rush out and read his books then it will have done it's job. That I still prefer Breakfast With Hunter probably says more about my taste in documentary than it does about the films themselves. sound and vision Any film whose content includes considerable amounts of archive footage from a variety of media of various vintage is hard to accurately judge the transfer quality of, but judging by the interview material shot specifically for the film this is a solid job, and one that's been taken straight from the video master rather than the film print. Contrast and sharpness here are fine but inevitably vary in the archive footage, which in keeping with current trends has been cropped from its original 4:3 ratio to fill the 1.78:1 anamorphic screen here. The Dolby 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround tracks do not differ that wildly, though the 5.1 is slightly fuller and sticks the voices in the middle rather than spreading them over the front stage.

Frontal separation on the music is very good, but there's not a huge amount happening on the surrounds. extra features Commentary by director Alex Gibney Not the sort of film you'd think would benefit from a commentary track, given that most of it is made up of interviews and archive material, but after a brief bit of pointing out the obvious, Gibney finds plenty to talk about, dividing his time between personal opinion – he's a huge admirer of the artwork of Ralph Steadman, as are we all, and had a lot of time for Terry Gilliam's film version of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas – and background detail on the production, such as how helpful interviewees were, the difficulty of tracking down clips, that sort of thing. It's actually a lot more interesting than it sounds, and does make you appreciate the lengths documentary filmmakers have to sometimes go to in order to secure material we as viewers tend to take for granted. Deleted / Extended Scenes (15:02) This section kicks off with two extracts from The Gonzo Tapes, recorded by Hunter and Oscar Acosta on their legendary Las Vegas trip, which serve as a most effective sales pitch for the five CD set, at least for Hunter devotees.

There's also home movie footage of Hunter playing football in the snow, an extraordinary ad for the San Francisco Examiner, grabbed footage of a book signing, a sequence about ‘shotgun art', and some rather camp gooning about at Owl Farm, which I presume was shot by Ewing. Extended Interviews (45:44) Exactly what it says, a collection of additional interview material from twelve of those interviewed for the film and containing a variety of anecdotes, many of them amusing and all of real interest. Subjects covered include some rather aggressive poetry rejection letters, Hunter's driving, the origins of the term 'Gonzo', the unpublished NRA manuscript, Gary Hart's first experience of Owl Farm, Hunter's way with money, his somewhat extreme method of getting interview time with Jimmy Carter, his funeral plans, problems at the Canadian border, Hunter's brief stint as a swimming coach, and an alarming lunch with Tom Wolfe. Ralph Steadman takes us on a welcome trip through some of his drawings of Hunter and treats us to his impersonation of the man, and it's all rounded off with a 13 minute archive interview with Hunter by TV12 about the follies of the Nixon government following the Watergate revelations.

Wayward and Weary (4:01) Tift Merritt performs the song Wayward and Weary, which she wrote after seeing this film. Interview with Alex Gibney (22:24) Without duplicating the commentary track to any serious degree, Gibney explains how he came to the project and how it differs from previous films and talks about his partial affinity with Hunter, the film's style, the experience of making it ("some kind of hell"), the process of sourcing the archive footage, securing the interviews, his views on this finished film, and Hunter's legacy and career. Steadman Drawings Over 70 drawings and a couple of modified photos from Ralph Steadman, largely of Hunter and including his iconic work for Fear & Loathing ion Las Vegas. Gallery Half a ton of photos and pertinent documents relating to Hunter at various stages of his life, which are subdivided into categories. Trailer (2:32) An energetically cut and persuasive sell. summary A busy, informative and always engaging documentary portrait that would make an ideal introduction to Thompson and his writing, although I'd keep Breakfast With Hunter handy as the perfect follow-though.

Optimum's disc is an absolute winner, the collection of extras included here exceeding in quantity and quality those on a fair few 2-disc sets. Recommended. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson USA 2008 Gonzo: Journalism of fact and fiction Gonzo: Journalism of fact and fiction 5 Gonzo is a style of journalism which gives the voice of people top priority. It contains news, views or thoughts of the society i.e. reader, listener or viewer, which reflects the genuine voice of people belonging to all sections of the society ‘GONZO JOURNALISM’ is a style of journalism which is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first person narrative. The style tends to blend factual and fictional elements to emphasise an underlying message and engage the reader. The word ‘Gonzo’ was first used in 1970 to describe an article by Hunter S Thompson, who later popularised the style. The term has since been applied to other subjective artistic endeavours.

‘Gonzo’ journalism tends to favour style over accuracy and often uses personal experiences and emotions to provide context for the topic or event being covered. It disregards the ‘polished’ edited product favoured by newspaper media and strives for the gritty factor. Use of quotations, sarcasm, humour, exaggeration, and even profanity is common. The use of ‘Gonzo journalism’ portends that journalism can be truthful without striving for objectivity and is loosely equivalent to an editorial. The term ‘Gonzo’ in connection to Thompson was first used by Boston Globe magazine editor Bill Cardoso in 1970 when he described Thompson’s The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved, which was written for the June 1970 Scanlan’s Monthly, as “pure ‘Gonzo journalism’.” Cardoso claimed that ‘Gonzo’ was South Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing after an all night drinking marathon. Cardoso also claimed that it was a corruption of the French Canadian word ‘gonzeaux’, which means “shining path”, although this is disputed. In Italian, ‘Gonzo’ is a common word for a gullible person, a ‘sucker’.

Another speculation is that the word may have been inspired by the 1960 hit song Gonzo by New Orleans R&B keyboardist James Booker. This last possibility seems to be supported by the 2007 oral biography of Thompson where it is stated that the term ‘Gonzo’ is taken from a hit song by Booker. Yet, this conclusion still says little of why Thompson or Cardoso would use that word and not another. According to a Greg Johnson biographical note on Booker, the song title ‘Gonzo’ comes from a 1960’s character in a movie called ‘The Pusher’. The movie on the other hand seems to have been inspired by a 1956 Evan Hunter’s novel by the same title, so it remains a mystery as to - who first used this word in American slang, and why. In Focus ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream’ followed the Mint 400 piece in 1971 and included a main character by the name of Raoul Duke, accompanied by his attorney, Dr Gonzo.

Although this book is considered to be a prime example of ‘Gonzo journalism’, Thompson said that it was a failed experiment. He had intended it to be an unedited record of everything he did as it happened, but he edited the book five times before it was eventually published. Thompson would instigate events himself, often in a prankish or belligerent manner, and then document both his actions and those of others. Notoriously neglectful of deadlines, Thompson often greatly annoyed his editors because he often faxed articles late, too late to be edited but just in time to make the printers. It is speculated that Thompson’s work going to print unedited due to a late delivery was completely intentional. Thompson wanted his work to be read as he wrote it, in its “true Gonzo” form. “I don’t get any satisfaction out of the old traditional journalist’s view— ’I just covered the story. I just gave it a balanced view’,” Thompson said in an interview for the online edition of The Atlantic. “Objective journalism is one of the main reasons American politics has been allowed to be so corrupt for so long.

You can’t be objective about Nixon.” Historian Douglas Brinkley said ‘Gonzo journalism’ requires virtually no rewriting and frequently uses transcribed interviews and verbatim telephone conversations. ‘Gonzo journalism’ can be seen as an offshoot of the New Journalism movement in the sixties, led primarily by Tom Wolfe, and also championed by Lester Bangs and George Plimpton. It has largely been subsumed into creative non-fiction. The work of Greg Palast, however, is considered by many to be a revival of ‘Gonzo journalism’. ‘Gonzo’ also occurs when an author cannot remove himself from the subject he investigates. In some cases - such as tornado chasing, wherein most documenting is done by the person driving the car and holding the camera - the ‘Gonzo’ element is inherent. In most other cases, however, it is a deliberate and voluntary choice of the journalist, or the media firm for which he or she works. Thompson felt that objectivity in journalism was a myth.

The term has now become a bona-fide style of writing that concerns itself with “telling it like it is”, not far from the ‘o Fist’, a two-thumbed symbol attributed to Thompson originally used as the slogan for his 1970 campaign for sheriff of Aspen, contains within the image a peyote button, the bud of a cactus plant that has hallucinogenic properties when ingested. The fist is combined with the word ‘Gonzo’, so styled as to form the hilt of a sword. In other contexts, ‘Gonzo’ has come to mean “with reckless abandon,” or, more broadly, “extreme”. ‘Gonzo’ porn refers to pornographic films which are filmed by a participant, and as such have eliminated fictional plot and scripted dialogue and focus on the fornication. Greater the exposure given to villagers’ problems by ‘Gonzo journalism’ higher is the chance of familiarity in the society. ‘Gonzo journalism’ accelerates or increases the power of expression i.e. the fundamental right of the entire citizen. It also increases the process of democratisation. In reality the democracy shall be meaningful only when it is strengthened at the grassroots level.

For this purpose ‘Gonzo journalism’ plays a very vital role. ‘Gonzo journalism’ must awaken people so that the rural community could be made willing to accept the change and became flexible to adopt new measures in resolving their socio-economic problems. ‘Gonzo journalism’ may also play an effective role in influencing the political elite, bureaucracy and other decision making agencies in order to implement and decide policies with budgetary support in larger interest of rural community. ‘Gonzo journalism’ established a milestone in respect to social welfare by using the voice of the persons belongs from society. Participation of society members in the activities of ‘Gonzo journalism’ is like oxygen for life. Due to its participatory nature it is obvious that the ‘Gonzo journalism’ has had a very considerable effect on journalism everywhere. Previous Post Concepts Ideas and Terms Exam Two - Communication Studies 04:189:102 with Gilbert at Rutgers University - New Brunswick/Piscataway - StudyBlue Good to have you back! If you've signed in to StudyBlue with Facebook in the past, please do that again. Concepts Ideas and Terms Exam Two Concepts Ideas and Terms Exam Two Valerie C.

Media and Culture 7e with 2011 Update: An Introduction to Mass Communication Absolute privilege Prosecutors, who would otherwise be vulnerable of being accused of libel, are granted this in a court of law so that they are not prevented from making accusatory statements toward defendants. Ex) "The defendant clearly killed the victim." Accountability Ethics,Responsibility, answerability, blameworthiness, liability, and other terms associated with the expectation of account-giving. Accountability is the acknowledgment and assumption of responsibility for actions, products, decisions, and policies. Advertisement ) Actual malice Highlighted during NYT v. Sullivan, the idea that an editor/publisher showed reckless disregard when published, knew it was a lie when they published it, didn't care if it was true when they published it. Agendas The idea that when the mass media focus their attention on particular events or issues, they determine – that is, set the agenda for – major topics of discussion for individuals and society. Anchor Presents material prepared for a news program and, at times, must improvise commentary for live presentation. Many anchors are also involved in writing and/or editing the news for their programs. Coined because of Walter Cronkite from RNC and DNC's.

Authoritarian press (Libya, Zimbabwe, Yemen) Very significant divide between the have's and the have not's. (Some are rich and can read, others are poor and can't)Role of the press is to maintain economic and political stability. Censorship is quite common. Block Printing Before the printing press, very slow and laborious. A printing technique developed by early Chinese printers, who carved characters into a block of wood, applied ink to the block, and then printed copies on multiple sheets of paper. CNN Cable news network that arose during the Gulf War in (1990-1991) CNN was able to cover the gulf 24/7 and after wards had news on all the time which gave a major challenge to nightly news programs. Chain ownership A corporation that owns a whole host of newspapers. Challenger disaster January 28th, 1986. Space ship launched and a minute later broke apart and went up in smoke. Happened at 11AM. 80% of the country knew about it within an hour. Thousands of children were watching because of the teacher that had been on board. Checkbook journalism** Paying for an interview or for sources.

Communist state model (Myanmar North Korea, China, Cuba) The state owns the media and is in the news making business, there is no seperation. No questioning the fundamental rules. Strong central governments. Centralized news media, where if something big happens, the media can be shut down. Conflict of Interest Any situation in which journalists may stand to benefit personally from stories they produce. Conflict journalism*** About selling what is weird, new, odd, problematic. Pride themselves for having antagonistic relationships with politicians. Consensus journalism Found in small communities, newspapers that promote social and economic harmony by providing community calendars and meeting notices and carrying articles in local schools, social events, town government, propery crimes and zoning issues. Advertisement Magazines that are defined by their advertisements for people. Ex) People, Cosmo, Time, US Weekly Copyright The legal right of authors and producers to own and control the use of their published or unpublished writing, music, and lyrics; TV programs and movies; or graphic art designs. Individual: Person's life + 70 years Institutional: 95 years Correspondent Someone who is else where from where the news is being published, or broadcast.

This person is finding out information on particular news and is either reporting it, or helping for editors to compile information and publish or broadcast the news. Culture The symbols of expression that individuals, groups, and societies use to make sense of daily life and to articulate their values; a process that delivers the values of a society through products or other meaning-making forms. Cutaway Additional, external footage that demonstrates story or shows location/event (what a reader lacks) Defamation The communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give a negative image. If false, person can claim libel/slander. Dime novels Novels that were 10 cents and cheaply produced for mass production, usually murder mysterious. Sometimes identified as pulp fiction. Popular in the U.S beginning in the 1860s.` Editorial operations*** Egoism What benefits the individual? The idea in ethics that what is most right is what benefits one person. Ethics How ought to behave. Behavior, response, reaction.

Ethnocentrism An underlying value held by many U.S journalists and citizens, it involves judging other countries and cultures according to how they live up to or imitate American practices and ideals Fair use A limitation and exception to the exclusive right granted by copyright law to the author of a creative work. Ex) Copying a chapter out of a book for personal use. Fairness Doctrine Repealed in 1987, this FCC rule required broadcast stations to both air and engage in controversial-issue programs that affected their communities and, when offering such programming, to provide competing points of view FCC (Federal Communications Commission) An independent U.S government agency made up of 5 individuals charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, cable, and the internet. Upto three of the members can be from one political party Fourth Estate The notion that the press operates as an unofficial branch of government, monitoring the legislative, judicial, and executive branches for abuse of power. Fox News Was established in October of 1996, came after big three. Killed in the rating when it started and as a result of it being conservative, MSNBC became liberal. Fragmentation** Only hear the people who provide the information that you want to hear.

Framing The light in which a news story is presented. Gag order Legal restrictions prohibiting the press from releasing preliminary information that might prejudice jury selection, as well as preventing the press from releasing specific information from a trial. Gate keeping** Editors, producers, and other media managers who function as message filters, making decisions about what types of messages actually get produced for particular audiences. Gonzo journalism** A style of journalism that is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative. See: Hunter S. Thomspon Google book project Deals to digitize major libraries (Stanford, New York Public Library) Preservation + accessibility. Copyright, ownership, revenue (orphans: no one knows who owns the copyright, so fees can not be payed in order to read books ) Hays office*** Determines if movies should have been censored or not. Led to MPAA. Herd journalism Occurs when reporters stake out a house, chase celebrities in packs, or follow a story in such herds that the entire profession comes under attack for invading people’s privacy and exploiting their personal problems. Indecency Value of information isn't quality, but it's entertainment. Investigative journalism Started as a result of yellow journalism.

Reporters were actually going out and finding stories. Joint operating agreements If there are two newspapers in a single market but they are dying, and people believe that it is important to have multiple newspapers, they combine to have the same legal, and business people, but the content is separate. Junkets Standard practices in entertainment where the press is all flown out and have all expenses paid and the stars have a series of interviews. Are you willing to give a negative review to someone who treated you so nicely. Libel Defamation of character in written or broadcast form; From British common law, generally defined as a false statement that holds a person up to public ridicule, contempt, or hatred or injures a person’s business or occupation. Not protected speech. Libertarian model Alternative small press: aggressive separation between the government and the press. No rules on what is okay to be published, anything and everything is fair game to published. No ethical boundaries, and a watchdog of the government. In US. Local news News that concentrates in a specific community where the reader/watcher is located, often includes recent events, filler stories, etc. Shown by local affiliates of stations.

Loss leaders Things that you sell at a low cost, or minimum cost because you think it will make you earn money on something else. (Bar nuts= more beer) Manuscript Hand written documents that were made during e middle ages when priests and monks advanced the art of bookmaking. Literacy was for the high class. Mass market paperback Low priced paperback books sold mostly on racks in drugstores, supermarkets, and airports, as well as in bookstores. Media literacy Understanding of the mass communication process through the development of critical thinking tools – description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, engagement, that let a person become engaged as a citizen and a consumer of mass media products. MSNBC A joint venture between Microsoft and NBC as a CNN alternative in 1996. A 24/7 news channel available on both cable and the internet. Liberal agenda because of Fox being conservative. Muckrakers Term coined by President Teddy Roosevelt to represent reporters who used a style of early-twentieth-century investigative journalism that emphasized a willingness to crawl around in society’s muck to uncover a story. Network news Pride of the Big Three, has been around since the beginning of television. Started on the radio, transferred to the television.

Stems from the idea of providing information to people. Don't bring in enough money to cover the costs. Newshole The space left over in a newspaper for news content after all the ads are placed. Newsworthiness The often unstated criteria that journalists use to determine which events and issues should become news reports, including timeliness, proximity, conflict, prominence, human interest, consequence, usefulness, novelty, and deviance. Niche journalism Journalism for a very specific market. Ex) Immigrants, ethnic, minority, underground, alternative papers. Nihilism Believes that systems don't work. All ideas of better or right don't exist. Don't believe in operational government. Non-consumer magazines Magazines that are defined by their lack of advertising. Ex) Newsletters, Cook's Illustrated, Highlights. Obscenity Papyrus One of the first substances to hold written language and symbols, obtained from plant seeds found along the Nile River. Parody Can't be used to sue for libel. ex) Weird Al. Partisan Press An early dominant style of American journalism distinguished by opinion newspapers, which generally argues one political point of view or pushed the plan of the particular party that subsidized the paper.

Pass-along readership The total number of people who come into contact with a single copy of a magazine. Penny press Newspapers that, because of technological innovations in printing, were able to drop their price to one cent beginning in the 1830’s. Made papers affordable to working and emerging middle classes and let newspapers to become a genuine mass medium. Photojournalism The use of photos to document events and people’s lives. In early 19th century, high quality photos gave general-interest magazines a visual advantage over radio. Originally started as woodcuts, until late 1800's. Plagiarism Defined in dictionaries as "the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them as one's own original work. Precision politics Prior-restraint The legal definition of censorship in the United States, which prohibits courts and governments from blocking any publication or speech before it actually occurs. Privacy rights Addresses a person’s right to be left alone, without his or her name, image, or daily activities becoming public property.

Production code Set of industry censorship guidelines that governed the production of United States motion pictures released by major studios from 1930 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the Hays Code, after Hollywood's chief censor of the time, Will H. Hays. Professionalization Social process by which any trade or occupation transforms itself into a true "profession of the highest integrity and competence.Tends to involve establishing acceptable qualifications, and a professional body to oversee the conduct of members. Profit journalism Public domain The end of the copyright period for a work, at which point the public may begin accessing it for free. Public good What is good for the community as a whole. Can refer to a newspaper publishing information that can risk the "public good." Public journalism Driven by citizen forums, that goes beyond telling the news to embrace a broader mission of improving the quality of public; also called civic journalism. Pulp fiction Term used to describe many late nineteenth century popular paperbacks and dime novels, which were constructed of cheap machine-made pulp material. Qualified privilege Legal right allowing journalists to report judicial or legislative proceedings even though the public statements being reported may be libelous.

Racehorse politics Rating systems Currently a voluntary movie system made by the MPAA so that the government doesn't regulate it. Works for labels of music, TV, and video games as well. (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17) Reader A news story that has no pictures or video footage (a lot less common on nightly news) Reference books Dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and other reference manuals related to particular professions or trades. Relativism In ethics essentially saying there is no way to create categories, everything depends on the context, the case, and the circumstances. Also, anything can be considered right or wrong given the appropriate context and set of circumstances. Rotary Press Actual person didn't have to press each paper, could press 50,000 as opposed to however needed to be done manually.` Satire Speaking truth to power, critical interrogation in the face of authority Challenge norms through humor: Funny because it is the truth Render the aggressive the ridiculous Not necessarily new. Previously through political cartoons. Scoops Exclusive stories or news before anyone else attempt to portray reporters in a heroic light: They have won the race for facts, which they have gathered and presented ahead of their rivals.

Not always clear if this helps public good. Sedition It became illegal to say things that were false and malicious against the government. “Needed it to keep security.” Act of 1917 saw Shenck go to prison for 10 years for handing out government opposing pamphlets while the US was at war. Shield laws Laws protecting the confidentiality of key interview subjects and reporters’ rights not to reveal the sources of controversial information used in news stories Slander In law, spoken language that defames a person’s character Social responsibility model (US, Western Europe, Canada, Japan) The model of the fourth estate. Privately owned, or privately operated. Independent and separate of the government. Operating in the public interest. Most developed countries. Soundbite In TV journalism, the equivalent of a quote in print; the part of a news report in which an expert, a celebrity, a victim, or a person on the street is interviewed about some aspect of an event or issue Subscription Payment for consecutive issues of a newspaper or magazine for a given period of time. When both were first starting they made the majority of their money based off of subscriptions made by the wealthy literate class.

Tabloid A newspaper, in small format, which gives the news in condensed form with the use of illustrations and sensational exaggerated material. Yellow journalism. Trade books The most visible book industry segment, featuring the hardbound and paperback books aimed at general readers and sold at bookstores and other retail outlets. Ex) fiction, nonfiction, bio's, literary classics, books on hobbies, travel, science, etc. Trade magazines Professional magazine, is a magazine published with the intention of target marketing to a specific industry. Ex) Variety, Box Office, Advertising Age Underground press Radical newspapers, run on shoestring budgets, that question mainstream political policies and conventional values; the term usually refers to a journalism movements of the 1960’s Utilitarianism

Question: What name is given to a style of journalism that is written subjectively, often including the reporter as part of the story via a first-person narrative?
Answer: Gonzo