New Journalism caused a sensation in the turbulent 1960s when young American writers – both journalists and novelists – began to blur the lines between fact and fiction. The traditional rules defining journalism and literature did not exist anymore – at least in the heads of many new journalists. Tom Wolfe, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Joan Didion, and Hunter S. Thompson were only a few of many representatives who raised a heated discussion about the obligation to be objective in print journalism. Notwithstanding, the turning away from the impersonal, almost clinical news journalism and the shift towards an authentic, emotional, yet nonfictional style of writing reflected the atmosphere of the 60s and 70s in America.
The paper sets out to explore the phenomenon of New Journalism, its techniques, as well as its meaning within the decade of its emergence. In order to give an insight into the self-conception of New Journalists, their research strategies will be explained exemplarily. Furthermore, traditional journalistic techniques will be further elaborated and compared to those of New Journalism. How do newspaper journalists work and write? What principles underlie their writing and how did these rules evolve in the first place? Chapter 2 gives answers to these questions. Finally, claiming objectivity to be the absolute when it comes to representing the truth, is questionable. Rather, both Old and New Journalism can sensibly complement each other.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Old Journalism
2.1. Brief History
2.2. Basic Principles of News Writing
2.3. The Conservative Journalist
2.4. Criticism
3. New Journalism
3.1. History and Origins
3.2. Characteristics
3.3. The New Journalist
3.4. Criticism
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Thematic Focus
This paper explores the phenomenon of New Journalism, examining its emergence in the 1960s as a reaction against the traditional, impersonal standards of objective news reporting. It analyzes the defining techniques of this movement and investigates how New Journalists utilized literary strategies to provide deeper cultural and emotional insights compared to conventional print media.
- The historical evolution of American newspaper journalism
- Core principles and constraints of traditional "Old Journalism"
- The rise of subjectivity and literary techniques in reporting
- A comparison between objective news writing and New Journalism
- Critical reception and the legacy of "Journalism's Woodstock"
Excerpt from the Book
3. New Journalism
“New Journalism, as the term is popularly used, usually refers to the writing of a new class of journalists, […] who have broken away from traditional journalistic practice to exercise the freedom of a new subjective, creative, and candid style of reportage and commentary” (Johnson xi). This breaking away from Old Journalism took place in the ‘roaring sixties’ in the United States of America and is also referred to as “Journalism’s Woodstock” (Grossmann, qtd. Haas/Wallisch 298). Young writers all over the USA, journalists and novelists alike, seemed to feel the urge to not merely give an account of the events taking place, but to actually be as close to them as possible. They managed to mirror society by doing extensive research on and writing about individuals or groups, their behaviour and social status (Haas/Wallisch 301). This implied, as in the case of Hunter S. Thompson’s adventurous months in preparation for his non-fiction novel Hell’s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, that the writer put himself at much more risk than any conventional journalist would have done.
New Journalists appropriated a combination of facts and literary techniques which made it possible not only to communicate the writers’ feelings but also for him or her to become an actual character in the story. Hence, New Journalists provided their readers with insights that they would not have gained by reading the traditional objective newspapers. “The idea was to give the full objective description, plus something that readers had always had to go to novels and short stories for: namely, the subjective or emotional life of the characters”, Tom Wolfe remembers (35). For the reader, “the New Journalism […] articulated a cultural identity. The new nonfiction seemed hip and relevant in ways that the daily newspaper had long since ceased to be” (Pauly, qtd. Klepper 125).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the shift from traditional objective journalism to the authentic, emotional writing style of New Journalism during the 1960s and 70s.
2. Old Journalism: This section provides a historical overview of traditional newspaper reporting and defines the standard principles of objectivity and conciseness in print media.
2.1. Brief History: This chapter traces the development of American newspaper reporting from the early 1700s through technological shifts like the telegraph and typewriter.
2.2. Basic Principles of News Writing: This chapter outlines the professional standards for journalists, emphasizing conciseness, credibility, and the "show, don't tell" principle.
2.3. The Conservative Journalist: This chapter examines the ideal characteristics of traditional journalists and the inherent challenges they face, such as time constraints and limited research depth.
2.4. Criticism: This chapter explores the intense criticism directed toward traditional journalism during the late 1960s, focusing on the perceived failures of objective reporting to capture the truth.
3. New Journalism: This chapter defines the emergence of the New Journalism movement, characterizing it as a departure from traditional practice toward a subjective, literary style.
3.1. History and Origins: This chapter analyzes the social and political climate of the 1960s that made the birth of a new, more expressive press inevitable.
3.2. Characteristics: This chapter details the specific literary devices and techniques, such as scene-by-scene construction and neologisms, used by New Journalists.
3.3. The New Journalist: This chapter discusses the self-conception of New Journalists as creative artists who prioritizes personal immersion and subjective experience.
3.4. Criticism: This chapter evaluates the negative reactions to New Journalism, including accusations of subjectivity, lack of reliability, and the blending of fact with fiction.
4. Conclusion: This chapter synthesizes the impact of both journalistic styles, ultimately questioning the possibility of absolute objectivity in reporting.
Keywords
New Journalism, Old Journalism, Journalism's Woodstock, Objectivity, Tom Wolfe, Subjectivity, Print Media, Literary Journalism, Nonfiction Novel, News Reporting, 1960s, American Media, Narrative Journalism, Mass Communication, Journalism History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines the historical and stylistic transition in American journalism during the 1960s and 70s, specifically the emergence of "New Journalism" as an alternative to traditional "Old Journalism."
What are the primary themes discussed?
Central themes include the evolution of journalistic standards, the role of objectivity in reporting, the use of literary techniques in nonfiction, and the cultural influence of the underground press.
What is the research goal of this work?
The goal is to explore the techniques and self-conception of New Journalists while comparing them to traditional journalistic strategies to determine how both styles can complement each other.
Which methodology is applied?
The paper utilizes a qualitative literature review, analyzing historical accounts, journalistic theory, and specific case studies of prominent New Journalists like Tom Wolfe and Joan Didion.
What does the main body cover?
The main body covers the development of traditional news writing (telegraph, inverted pyramid), the historical context of the 1960s, the characteristics of New Journalism (scene-by-scene construction), and the critical debate surrounding these practices.
Which keywords best describe the document?
Key terms include New Journalism, Objectivity, Subjectivity, Literary Journalism, 1960s, and Journalism History.
How did technology influence the development of "Old Journalism"?
Technological advancements like the telegraph forced reporters to adopt the "inverted pyramid" style to prioritize the most important information due to transmission constraints and deadlines.
What motivated New Journalists to move away from objective reporting?
They felt that traditional, impersonal journalism failed to capture the complexity and emotional reality of the turbulent 1960s, leading them to seek a more authentic and subjective way to represent current events.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2007, "Journalism's Woodstock" - Old vs. New Journalism in a decade of change, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/83127
