Any journalist worth his or her salt has heard of New Journalism. It was a new type of news reporting that blended literary techniques typically seen in fiction. It was invented sometime in the 1960s and died out in the mid-70s. Since then, New Journalism may have been used on occasion and as a talking point in American journalism’s history, but nothing more. What a shame.
Let’s discuss why New Journalism should have its renaissance in the 21st century. With social media now as the chosen platform of news gathering, it has changed journalism forever. Along with fake news and the ability for an ordinary citizen with a smartphone to report breaking news, journalism is suffering. I believe that a resurgence of New Journalism style reporting—with its long-form, fiction-esque prose, and overall non-traditional vibe—can save journalism, not only in written media but in video reporting, as well.
The Truth Lies within New Journalism
The news media, as of writing this (2020), is a former shell of what it once was twenty and thirty years ago. Sure, all cable news shows had their slants toward liberal or conservative parties, but not like you can see it playing it out now. Journalism is under attack because it is not as reputable as it once was and how it can’t compete with online media. Social media has taken the power away from broadcast media and, thus, sent news outlets into a frenzy to create sensational and radical news that will garner viewers.
Because of this power struggle broadcast media has with online news reporters, objectivity has gone the way of the Dodo. Facts are rarely relevant anymore. Instead, the truth has become the new fact. And that is not good for anyone. Truth is subjective. Truth is relative. It is not factual at all. Therefore, news media must change their delivery of the news if they want to save their viewers. They must create their own new lane again and roll with the punches that social media has brought to their doorstep.
*Enter New Journalism.*
When New Journalism was in its glory back in its heyday, it was because it was different, odd, rebellious. And because of its non-traditional structure of storytelling, it made a (brief) mark for itself. It crystalized itself in history because of its usage of fiction techniques that provided a new method to relay a news story. That was ingenious. Whoever invented it—Tom Wolfe, Gay Telese, Hunter S. Thompson, Truman Capote—thank you. They were ahead of their time. They created a new form of news reporting that needs a resurrection now because fiction techniques can provide a certain level of needed truth that can only be viewed through the artistic ways of fictional storytelling.
How Social Media Benefits New Journalism
Rather than rebel against social media, news media outlets should accept social media. They should adapt to it.
Easier Medium
Whereas physical page length restrains stories in newspapers, website blogs, and social media platforms allow for an endless amount of space for a story. Stories with a literary style could flourish using this huge space. Think of it as self-publishing a short story.
Reporters and journalists don’t have to worry about the technicalities of page layout as much with electronic editions. Blog posts are already hardwired with themes and page functions, such as grammar checks and content correction abilities. Writing has never been easier.
Promote Literacy
People still enjoy reading. Even though videos are everywhere, people do read. In fact, more people are able to read now than ever before in human history because of the Internet. And this ability to read has become mandatory because it forces people to engage on social media.
Because New Journalism discards regular news reporting styles, such as the inverted pyramid, it embraces a more “feature-style” writing. This style is not dull or robotic, like much of average news reporting and academic essays. New Journalism pieces are fun to read. They are like the narration of novels because they focus on characters.
Promote Storytelling
Not only will New Journalism promote literacy, but it will encourage storytelling, in general.
Because New Journalism uses literary techniques, such as point of view and setting to tell the story, it will simultaneously improve a writer’s skills with fiction writing. The power to provide empathy and help others will arise from this ability to tell stories.
New Journalism storytelling isn’t regulated to blog posts. It can focus on writing and screenplay writing, as well. Especially when it comes to broadcast media and video production, reporters need a script. They need a way to tell the story in an engaging way. Why not use New Journalism’s method to tell a story that viewers haven’t seen before in the regular news? It may make watching the news more enjoyable. And you can credit the artistic ways of New Journalism.
Characteristics of New Journalism
To know how to incorporate New Journalism techniques into basic new reporting, writers and newsrooms should know what New Journalism looks like. Think of it as a short story. For those who are already familiar with creative writing, adopting New Journalism into their styles should be a breeze. For those who haven’t yet written short stories, just unlearn and disregard the normal and cliche news reporting styles you know.
Using these following methods, New Journalism will intrigue readers in a way they are not used to experiencing in the 21st Century.
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The Senses
Never in a news report will you hear about the five senses unless it was from a neighbor overhearing a barking dog or the smell of wood-burning from the house ablaze. The five senses are left out on purpose. They don’t forward the story when present. “Just the facts” is key. However, when writers incorporate the senses (like in fiction), it builds an entire realistic world that brings the reader in more deeply.
For example:
- How does the smell of Springtime rain affect the subject after he or she just admitted a secret?
- Does the sound of the birds chirping on the apple tree give hope to the subject or does it make him or her cry in despair?
- What is the subject’s response to seeing his trophy room? Is he or she grateful or are they proud?
- When the subject picks up a photo of his deceased sister does it make him recall regrets?
- Does the wine he or she drinks bring better spirits than when they down Vodka?
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Objectivity is No More
Gone are the days of “objective” news reporting. When using New Journalism, subjectivity is key. The narrator (the journalist) of the article is the one telling the story because they are experiencing the story first-hand with the subject close by. This makes the writer’s perspective “subjective,” because he or she is simply observing the subject through dialogue and the actions of the subject. They are not within the mind of the subject (like fiction).
This is a massive distinction from regular news reporting. With objective news reporting, you will see street reporters breaking news of hurricanes or crime scenes where they simply tell the viewers of which facts they know: Who; What; When; Where; Why; How.
The subjectivity in New Journalism doesn’t necessarily disregard the facts, but it doesn’t focus on them as a primary reason to tell the story. Instead, New Journalism focuses more on character depth, akin to a feature story.
And just as important, the writer tries to write the story from how the subject feels. For example, in Gay Telese’s “Frank Sinatra has a cold,” Talese writes about the obstacles that Sinatra faces because of his illness.
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Setting is Important
During regular news reporting, you might read about an address or hear the reporter mention the place where something important happened. In New Journalism, the writer expounds freely on a setting. The writer, in fact, goes into great detail with the setting (like a fiction author would). The setting becomes detailed and intricate when writing about other characters.
- Why is the subject even there? Is it special to the subject?
- Does the setting have any historical significance?
- What does the setting look like? How do the colors resonate with the subject at that moment?
- Is the setting friendly, welcoming? Is the setting depressing?
- How would the setting engage with the reader if he or she were there?
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Prose and Dialogue and POV
Whereas typical new reports are written in third-person POV, New Journalism can use whichever point of view it wants. Because the narrator is, more often, just an unnamed person in the room telling the reader about the subject, the point of view is at the writer’s discretion. The choice of POV is the first decision the writer should make before approaching the article at all. If the writer begins writing the story in a POV that he or she finds is unsuitable for the article, they may have to begin again, which could negatively affect the story.
Other times, the writer may choose to narrate a more exciting scene from the POV of a different subject. This is not a problem, as long as the reader knows about the jump.
*NOTE: The POV is not from the subject’s actual perspective (that would be fiction), but an outside focus from the writer about a subject. Think of it as the writer simply orbiting the subject for a while, detailing what the subject is doing—and possibly thinking.
Because new Journalism takes on elements of fiction, the prose is boundless. Short, straightforward sentences without any subtext or metaphor are disregarded in New Journalism. Sentences can go on for as long as needed. New Journalism provided a more artistic form this way. Think of it as creative non-fiction. The prose is more believable, more lifelike than typical news reports allow. There is a human voice to it.
Dialogue, as well, is there. However, dialogue in New Journalism pieces is scarce. It is there, but many times the writer does not place a spotlight on dialogue unless there are very significant words spoken by the subject or someone else that should make their way into the story. Depending on the writer’s choice, the dialogue may not even appear on separate lines. It instead may suddenly come and go (with quotation marks—sometimes) while mid-sentence within the prose.
Other times, when the dialogue appears, it is because it has sparked interest in the writer. He or she found it important. They try to write the dialogue of the subjects as realistically as possible. Swears, slang, stutters, etc. are all there to make it beautifully realistic for the reader.
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Subject
Perhaps the most important of all New Journalism details is the subject. As aforementioned with POV, this should hold true as the main focus for the writer.
One question for a writer using New Journalism should always have ready is: How can I portray the subject to the reader in an authentic way?
The answer to this comes from expert observation by the writer. You, the writer, need to use your keen people skills.
- How does the subject treat their dog? Do they feed it on time or do they let it beg first?
- Do they tip the waitress or do they skip the bill?
- Did they comb their hair or just run their fingers through?
- Did they dress nicely around you or wear pajamas to the interview?
These might seem like odd and trivial things to notice, but they matter. They especially matter when writing New Journalism. You need to bring the reader in with as many realistic details as possible. You need to make the subject seem likable or dislikeable. Whichever you decide, you had better do it correctly.
Related Questions
How should online media sites promote stories with New Journalism characteristics?
Rather than begin or revamp an entire news site to fit the mold of New Journalism, a new page or category section signifying specific stories that are written with such techniques could appear. Links within regular articles or short videos as widgets in the sidebars of the site would work.
What if the New Journalism piece is too long for a blog post?
More than likely, a new piece with literary traits will go on. However, depending on its structure and (sub) headings, the newsroom could schedule each piece for daily publication. Who says the whole piece has to go live immediately?
New Journalism pieces sound similar to typical feature stories. What are the differences?
Good question. The primary reason is voice. The voice in a feature story is very professional. It is as if a news reporter was dictating it. They use short sentences. It flows easily and is not hard to read.
A New Journalism piece will tell about the subject but more artistically. The voice will be more realistic and the subjects more complex.
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