Gonzo journalism is a subjective, observational style of journalism reported in a first person narrative.
After reading The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved, Bill Cardoso, editor of The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, said in a letter to Hunter S. Thompson, "It's totally gonzo." The 1970 magazine article was transcribed from notes Hunter S. Thompson had scrawled in a haze of alcohol and drugs, but Hunter embraced the term and gonzo journalism was born.Boston Globe: Bill Cardoso Obituary (March 3, 2006)
Examples of Gonzo Journalism
Quotes
…Gonzo Journalism. It is a style of “reporting” based on William Faulkner’s idea that the best fiction is far more true than journalism – and the best journalists have always known this. Owl Farm Blog: What is Gonzo Journalism?—Hunter S. Thompson, The Great Shark Hunt
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Emerged from New Journalism, a combination of creative writing and journalism championed by Truman Capote, Norman Mailer and Tom WolfeBBC News: Bedtime for Gonzo? (February 24, 2005)
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1970
Bill Cardoso, editor of The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, describes Hunter S. Thompson's article, The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved as "totally gonzo"Boston Globe: Bill Cardoso Obituary (March 3, 2006)
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Fact:
Gonzo journalists are noted for their excess and frequent vulgarityBBC News: Bedtime for Gonzo? (February 24, 2005)
