Fear, Loathing and The New Journalism.

In the last HCJ lecture, we learnt all about The New Journalism or 'Gonzo Journalism' as it was sometimes known. This was the style of journalism that came to prominence in the 60's and 70's. Popularised by Tom Wolfe and Hunter S Thompson, it emerged due to the prominence of the counter-culture in the West. Drugs played a large part in its formation, especially in regards to Hunter S Thompson's work. His infamousl novel, 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' was based around his experiences in travelling to a police drug enforcement meeting while high as a kite on LSD, mescaline, marijuana and other assorted drugs.

This popularity with the drug culture was also accompanied by a fondness for radicalism, named 'Radical chic' by Tom Wolfe. For example, Leonard Bernstein's party for the Black Panthers in his upstate New York penthouse. This was met with derision by Wolfe, who saw it as little more that social points scoring rather than actual political and social activism.

Gonzo has set the standard for documentary film making. Rather than having people told what's happening, people now see it. This chance from diegetic to mimetic related to wanting for people to experience honesty and experience as opposed to cold, scientific fact such as you find in regular journalism. A result of this has led to an increase in "performance" journalism. Movies such as Supersize Me and Louis Theroux TV shows have become more about the person involved as opposed to what it's about.