Sometimes from the lips of representatives of the media world you can hear the word "gonzo". What does this term mean, few understand. And this is despite the fact that this phenomenon has been in our country for more than forty years. Fortunately or unfortunately, the concept of “gonzo” is not very common today. What it means is also not known to everyone. And this is undoubtedly of interest.
A bit of history
The origin of such a phenomenon as “gonzo-journalism” is attributed to the sixties of the last century. Most art historians attribute its appearance to a certain history.
It is said that at that time writer and journalist H.S. Thompson lived and worked in America. Once the editor of the publication Rolling stone sent him to make the material from the races. But Hunter Thompson failed the task, because he could not meet the deadline. Actually, he did not see the race itself. In order to somehow get out of the situation, the correspondent sent his boss the so-called marginal notes - the sketches made in the notebook are not so many races as the people acting around the audience.
The editor regarded the unfulfilled task in his own way. He liked the marginal notes, because they were written interestingly, in a new way. A journalistic presence was felt in every line, behavioral problems were raised (the writer noted fraud and drunkenness among the spectators of the spectacle). Readers also liked the new presentation of the material, although they were somewhat shocked by the style.
Gonzo Journalism
What are facts, but “wrapped” in a shell of subjective interpretation? How to name a story about an event, a work of art or a photo exhibition conducted by a first-person correspondent and where the presence of profanity is possible? Which definition is most suitable for reporting, in which the author not only covers what is happening, but also resorts to hyperbole, exaggeration and even sarcasm?
For ignorant people it will become clear what gonzo journalism is, if they are able to collect all these definitions together.
Translation of the term into Russian
It will help to understand, "gonzo" - what is the translation of this word from English. Dictionaries open the veil: this term denotes such definitions as “crazy, ” “nuts, ” or “crazy.”
And in fact, many journalists, especially people of the old formation, conservatives, seem to be such shocking inadequacies, even partially mentally unhealthy.
Indeed, how can you take seriously the leading YouTube channel “Plus one hundred and five hundred” Max, who builds faces, taunts, using profanity, and the heroes of the video, and somewhere about himself? This is also gonzo journalism. After all, the presenter covers events, albeit captured on video clips. And he does it by all the rules of the new trend.
It is worth noting that most of the youth enthusiastically watch all of his programs. And if the video caught Max’s eyes, then the fame was guaranteed.
Gonzo Trends
In the traditional press, facts are often presented the same way and without zest. The “gonzo” style contrasts this stagnation with a creative presentation of material with a huge share of expression. The manner of the journalist, his personality, his look and assessment of what is happening, the effect of presence and immersion arouse genuine curiosity.
The events here take place as if around the author, envelop him, make him a hero. There are practically no frames. The task of the representative of the gonzo-style media is to surprise or shock the reader, to produce an effect with his introduction. The bigger the better.
Media working in this style
Unusual presentation of the material is used in many media. And if they are not completely adherents of an original style, then some sections of publications gravitate towards it for sure. This happens on radio, on television, in newspapers, and in the Internet.
The well-known publication “Lenta.ru” with the section “Oftopik”, the magazine “YE! NOT”, the resource about the world of rock music and cinema “Rock-Review.Ru”, the magazines “Poster”, “Russian Reporter”, the Internet broadcast “ Minaev LIVE."
Modern literary scholars even believe that gonzo journalism appeared only in the second half of the last century. In fact, already in the nineteenth century, one can notice the first steps of correspondents along this path. For example, the experiences of Mark Twain in the journalistic field - why not gonzo? What is this direction, then no one, of course, knew. But his story, Journalism in Tennessee, is an example of grotesque, sarcasm, based on real events, the eyewitness of which was the correspondent himself.
Thomas Wulf - one of the most prominent representatives of the direction.
