Renegade Journalism – is there a place for them these days?
OK so its been a while so I’m giving this an overhaul. Apologies for the delay.
It seems to me that if you’re in the profession of journalism then the name Hunter S. Thompson seems to be mandatory reading. I was already a fan of Fear And Loathing Las Vegas before joining uni so I knew the doctor of Journalism carried a lot of weight even more so with his passing. This semester I digested more of his works. Hell Angels – a book that deals with one of the many acclaimed deviant subculutres of Sixities America , Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail 72 – a novel that negoiates the minefield of US politics and The Rum Diairy which explores Thompson’s origins as a sports journalist in Puerto Rico through fiction even thoug it isn’t quite gonzo it still has the life of excess around it.
I wonder to myself if Thompson’s ways would still be deemed acceptable in this day and age. His excessive drug consumption (and his obsession of firearms) probably would be frowned upon by today’s ever so politcally correct society.
With the ever competitive market of journalism becoming more and more cut throat it begs to be questioned whether radical, innovative loose cannons like Thompson have had their time.
Indeed if you looked at acclaimed journalist/writer Wil Self, he got shown the door when he decided to shoot up on the PM’s plane in 1995. If you were an editor at paper would you want a writer that is a constant liability? Probably not.
In context to Thompson’s time – the 60′s and the 70′s, it was all about the drugs – LSD, mescaline and marijuana. To my knowlegde I can’t think of anyone in this day and age that can rival Thompson in the journalism world in terms of excess.
Although I’m want to talk considering I’m not looking into being a stereotypical journalist but I’m thinking that the loose cannon image surrounding the era of New Journalism seems to have its day. Saying that the reputation of journalist being notorious drinkers still seems to carry weight. I’m not trying to immitate Thompson as a student. I just find his antics extraordinary and want to find my own way like Thompson. I suppose I consider him a hero. If there are new schools of journalists like Thompson and Tom Wolfe where in their time then hopefully they will break the mould and into mainstream and gain new audiences to inspire.
