This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Jonathan Goldstein speak. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with him (I know I was until this week), he is the host of CBC Radio’s Wiretap. Basically, he hosts a half-hour show where he discusses life stories with his friends, who act as characters. While the information the show is based on is true, the interactions and much of what is said is fictional.
The entire time I listened to him speak and listened to clips from his show, the way he told stories reminded me a lot of the writing of Hunter S. Thompson, the infamous Gonzo journalist. And as the classroom discussion of whether blogging counts as journalism, I wondered more and more about Thompson and how he managed to get the “journalist” title.
Thompson became famous for his hilarious adventures, which mixed real-life tales with his added personal thoughts and some (it had to be) fictional tales, yet defined what is known as “Gonzo journalism.” Key word there: journalism. Thompson was continually hired by newspapers and magazines, and had all the responsibilities and privileges of a professional journalist.
What he did was everything but traditional journalism: mixing his “coverage” with the feelings he had while hopped up on every type of drug imaginable. This goes back to the debate of who deserves to be called a journalist, and receive journalistic privilege. He seems, just as much of a blogger, to be opinionated and again to be more editorial than anything.
Is this what blogging is then? Gonzo journalism? In some cases, I would definitely agree. Overwhelmingly though, Hunter S. Thompson’s role in the newspaper, while unorthodox, gives him the privilege that bloggers cannot try to claim. My opinion remains, blogging is not journalism. With all of the commentary, and the lack of training to be a journalist, it is just way too dangerous to give Everyday Joe who happens to have a blog, that type of power and respect.
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