NEW Journalism

C. Rocco Casazza

Ambiguous term

• President Theodore Roosevelt referred to Lincoln Steffans, Ida Tarbell, etc. as muckrakers

• Muckrakers considered 1st “new” journalists due to innovative techniques

• Sometimes called The New New Journalism due to distinct styles

Skeptical society

McCarthyism

Civil Rights

Vietnam War

Watergate

Re-examing objectivity

• Cultural shift in accepted philosophy affects arts- paintings, stories, photographs, poetry, JOURNALISM

• Concluded that objectivity did not guarantee truth

• Practical limitations, explored the idea of ‘truth’

Tom wolfe

• Coined the term ‘new journalism’ as new style of investigative journalism of the era

• 1963 story for Esquire birthed anthology, “Kandy Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby,” high early mark of new journalism

• “The New Journalism” published in 1973, compilation anthology from prominent writers with varied styles. Power in Numbers proved prominence.

Staples of the style

• Often spent months, even calendar year doing field research (conducting interviews, general observations)

• Utilized narrative TECHNIQUE for a distinct voice including vivid imagery/scenery, well-developed & sustained dialogue, dramatic tension

• Detailed accounts of real-life stories

Gay talese

• Notable writer for Esquire & The New York Times

• 1966- “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” seen as one of the pioneering works

• “The Silent Season of a Hero” captivating humanist story of Yankee icon Joe DiMaggio

• One of the key figures of the style/movement

SEX, DRUGs & Rock N Roll

• Cavalier attitudes about immediate pleasures transpired within hippie culture

• Pervasive marijuana use, experimental chemical and hallucinogens more common

• Counter culture needed more voices besides the underground press

• New publications emerged that remain in pop culture

Blazing a path

• Rolling Stone (est. 1967) Cal student Jenn Wenner & music critic Ralph Gleason began in San Francisco with a budget of $7500

• Playboy (est. 1953) Ignited sexual revolution started by Hugh Heffner, former Esquire copy editor

• Esquire (est. 1933) Played key role in exposure of new journalism from writings of Talese, Wolfe, Mailer

Other contributors• Truman Capote- Devoted years to research and write

1965’s In Cold Blood- best selling account of family murder in Humboldt, Kansas.

• Norman Mailer- “Superman Goes to The Supermarket,” Kennedy’s rise at Democratic National Convention

• Hunter S. Thompson- Rolling Stone & The New Yorker contributor. Controversial documentation of Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang. Deviated with gonzo journalism.

The fall of new journalism

• Criticism includes: Narrative technique tempts writers to stray from facts. Ethical violations of fabricating details, conversations and combining “characters”

• Economics did not allow for invested reporting, esp for newspapers. Field immersion becoming condensed

• The rising popularity of television for news reporting/entertainment

• Due to fast pace life, readers preferred quicker, more concise stories.

Guy talese says…

• “I don’t think they young people who came out of journalism schools, or any kind of schools, in the 1960s had the faintest idea of what reporting is,” he said. “You can see that in the magazines. There’s no replacement for a Tom Wolfe, and his style, or a Hunter Thompson, and his style, or [myself], and [my] style. … We were the best magazine writers going in the 1960s. They should be better than us in the 1980s. Nobody is even half as good,” (Russello).