Gonzo Journalism - Lasting Influence

Lasting Influence

Thompson felt that objectivity in journalism was a myth. Gonzo journalism has now become a bona-fide style of writing that concerns itself with "telling it like it is", similar to the New Journalism of the 1960s, led primarily by Tom Wolfe and also championed by Lester Bangs, George Plimpton, Terry Southern, and John Birmingham—in fact, gonzo journalism is considered a sub-genre of new journalism.

Though, when asked if there is a difference, by Playboy in "Ancient Gonzo Wisdom", Thompson said “Yeah, I think so. Unlike Tom Wolfe or Gay Talese, for instance, I almost never try to reconstruct a story. They're both much better reporters than I am, but then I don't really think of myself as a reporter.”

In a May 1, 2010 article, Michigan Online News writer Jennifer Marinelli argues the long-lasting, sweeping effects of Thompson's work—not only on journalism, but the collective conscience as well. The subjective surreal writings of Detroit writer Gabriel Rheaume, in "The Shores We Walk" demonstrate the influence of Thompson outside of journalism.

“Hunter S. Thompson didn't just create a new form of journalism. He created a new way of thinking that is still important in today’s society. A style that is so influential that it has seeped through to the hearts and minds of the succeeding generations. Within the last two decades there have been an onslaught of novels, documentaries, works of art, and websites devoted to Thompson. It is doubtful that many members of the Digital Age partake in the hard gonzo lifestyle of drugs and alcohol that Thompson symbolizes. However, it is hard to ignore the similarities between Thompson's gonzo journalism and today's growing popularity of citizen journalism through new media like blogs and Twitter.”