Gonzo Journalism and the Dying Art of Coverage

"At the top of the mountain, we are all snow leopards." -Hunter S. Thompson

Hunter S. Thompson pioneered a new way of covering stories. His reporting style--incorporating himself into the story--led to historic works like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," and "Hell's Angels." Now, in the era of sound bites and 'gotcha' journalism, the Thompson-esque style is losing its importance.

Thompson used journalism as a means to his own ends. He sought to develop characters, inform readers, and have fun. A brilliant writer, Thompson controlled his situations with words, and explored new opportunities for story by incorporating himself into passages. While Thompson wrote himself in, he was actually living his words. Through drugs, alcohol, and a reckless abandon that most only see in back corners of the world, Hunter S. Thompson forced the dark side of story and told the gory bits that he had both experienced and was unafraid to jot down.

Today, a talent like Thompson's may be wasted. The Internet and YouTube have made news agencies seek to ever shorten their broadcasts. The snappy and concise glimpses at a story are far more effective in the new media. In the recent political campaign (and indeed, in all political campaigns in the late 90's and 2000's), polls and voters can be won and lost as fast as the stories change. Major issues may remain unchanged, but tactics to throw one of his or her game come quickly and ferociously.

Hunter S. Thompson covered the '72 political campaign. Following McGovern closely, Thompson relentlessly picked up on miscues, strategies, and political insights. But, at the end of a deadline, the article was a critical look at the campaign as a whole, the gravity of the election, and the failure of the American people to rally to McGovern's side. Hard-hitting journalism barely describes his work here. Rather, it was an expose on the waning culture of politics in America.

There are talents in the news media. Gene Weingarten, for example, who writes for the New York Post has shown flashes of brilliance in a style close to Hunter's in his article, "Pearls Before Breakfast"--a Pulitzer-Prize winning article about appreciating beauty contextually, and disregarding it in normal life. But still, journalists seem more interested in making the headline on CNN.com with their heavily-researched sound bite from 1983.

Technology changes most things. We live in a digitized world that moves faster than most are comfortable with. Sites like DrudgeReport and HuffPost bring us an up-to-the-minute overview of all major news stories while circulation of the New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post continues to fall. It's time to take a stand and revisit the long features, the critical essays, and the focused, keen observations of life as it is.