The "Most Accurate, Least Factual" Writer : Hunter S. Thompson, Journalist

Abstract

New Journalism, as practiced by Tom Wolfe, Jimmy Breslin, and other writers, loosened the accepted bounds of journalism in the 1960s. Embracing these unrestricted journalism practices, Hunter S. Thompson adapted the New Journalists' techniques and added some of his own to create Gonzo Journalism. A mix of satire, dark humor, and parody, Gonzo focused on the persona telling the story rather than the events that the writer on which was supposed to be reporting. Objectivity, the mainstay of traditional reporting in the 20th century, was not the goal in Gonzo. Thompson's writing more closely resembled the news writing that came before the rise of objectivity. Today, Thompson's influence on the modern media has lead the way for satirical news programming such as The Colbert Report and publications like The Onion. Thompson's writing was also the also a forbearer of the modern polarized media. People who read his reportage understood that they were getting a story from his point-of-view; similarly, shows like Fox News provide the news from a certain viewpoint.