claire byrne - new journalism
DESCRIPTION
Claire gives us the lowdown on new journalism.TRANSCRIPT
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Claire ByrneNew Journalism
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New Journalism ≠ New Media
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What even is it?
• Traditional journalism aims to inform readers through unbiased facts.
• New journalism aimed to present readers a larger “interpretive truth”.
• Creative, evocative and deeply descriptive.
• While literary journalism had been around for some time, New Journalism was seen as an evolution of this reporting.
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Four Main Literary Devices: • Third-person point of view
• Scene-by-scene narrative
• Extensive dialogue
• Recording of status-life symbols
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“I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismograph.”
Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
• Founding-Father of New Journalism
• Best known works include The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, The Black Panther Party and The Right Stuff.
• Known for his bad-ass pimpin’ style; white suits, hats, a cane.
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“The problem with fiction, it has to be plausible. That's not true with non-
fiction.” Tom Wolfe
“There goes (VAROOM! VAROOM!) that Kandy Kolored (THPHHHHHH!) tangerine-flake streamline baby (RAHGHHHH!) around the bend (BRUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM).”
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“I think all novels should be journalism to start, and if you can ascend from
that plateau to some marvelous altitude, terrific.” Tom Wolfe
• Emerged as New Journalism's major spokesperson and theorist.
• The New Journalism became the quintessential guide to the movement.
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“I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for
me.” Hunter S. Thompson
• One of the most prolific writers of the movement.
• Best-known works include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ‘72, and Hell’s Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.
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“If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked
up.” Hunter S Thompson
• Fore-father of Gonzo Journalism.
• Sub-genre which favoured flair over fact.
• Erratic, manic style of writing.
• The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved first example of Gonzo.
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“But I'm not a saint yet. I'm an alcoholic. I'm a drug addict. I'm homosexual. I'm a
genius.” Truman Capote
• In Cold Blood, example of early New Journalism.
• Forged a new, evocative, multi-layered style of crime reporting.
• Was highly controversial, garnered much criticism for sensationalism.
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“Writers are always selling somebody out.” Joan Didion
• One of the most prominent women in New Journalism.
• Slouching Towards Bethlehem was a personal exploration of American culture in the 1960s.
• Wrote with husband John Gregory Dunne.
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“Writing books is the closest men ever come to childbearing” Norman Mailer
• A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner.
• First came to prominence for controversial essay White Negros.
• Broke new ground with award-winning Armies of the Night.
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The Best of the Rest…
• Gay Talese whose features for Esquire and The New Yorker helped to shape modern literary journalism.
• Michael Herr’s book Dispatches is widely credited as the most accurate, articulate and honest on the Vietnam war.
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The Best of the Rest…
• Nicholas Tomalin, a distinctive outlandish, yet deadpan style. His most famous piece, The General Goes Zapping Charlie Cong.
• “The only qualities essential for real success in journalism are rat-like cunning, a plausible manner, and a little literary ability.”
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The Publishers
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Criticism
• Many criticised the lack of transparency in the work and the integrity of the reporters writing it.
• There is also a school of thought against Wolfe’s claim that New Journalism was in fact new at all.
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Criticism
• Lester Markel: "factual fictionists" performing as sociologists and psychoanalysts rather than as journalists.
• Dwight McDonald: “A bastard form, having it both ways, exploiting the factual authority of journalism and the atmospheric license of fiction.”
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When New Journalism got Old
• As topics like drugs, rock music, war, civil rights, social discontent lost relevance so too did New Journalism.
• Readerships dwindled and ad space became a commodity.
• The immediacy of television and then the internet, left in-depth reporting and research somewhat redundant.
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I ♥ NJ
• I think any factual discrepancies are counteracted by how evocative the imagery is, how rich the language is and how ballsy the writers are.
• War correspondents of the New Journalism era played a huge role in shaping public opinion, their influence is still evident today.
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If you’d rather watch the movie than read the book…
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…But should you care to read further
• The New Journalism by Tom Wolfe is the best starting point.
• Michael Shapiro’s The Curse of Tom Wolfe and Chris Harvey’s Tom Wolfe’s Revenge.
• Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking.
• Esquire and Rolling Stone have great archives online.
• Check out Ralph Steadman’s Gonzo Art.
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Claire Byrne
Thank You!