Editing Gonzo journalism (section)

== Influence and legacy ==

Thompson felt that [[journalistic objectivity|objectivity in journalism]] was a myth. Gonzo journalism has now become a ''bona fide'' style of writing that 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]], and is considered a subgenre of New Journalism.<ref>[https://dc.ewu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1295&context=theses Hunter S. Thompson and gonzo journalism as literature - EWU Masters Thesis Collection]</ref><ref>[https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/07/the-hunter-s-thompson-you-dont-know/242198/ The Hunter S. Thompson You Don't Know - The Atlantic]</ref> When asked whether there was a difference between the two, Thompson answered, "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."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Hunter S. |title=Ancient Gonzo Wisdom: Interviews with Hunter S. Thompson |last2=Hitchens |first2=Christopher |date=2009 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-7867-4798-6 |editor-last=Thompson |editor-first=Anita |edition=First |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |oclc=449190907}}</ref>

In 1998, [[Christopher Locke]] asserted that the [[online magazine|webzine]] genre is descended from gonzo journalism,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Locke |first=Christopher |date=July 9, 1998 |title=Fear and loathing on the Web |work=The Industry Standard |url=http://www.thestandard.net/articles/article_display/0,1449,1019,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990117022847/http://www.thestandard.net/articles/article_display/0%2C1449%2C1019%2C00.html |archive-date=January 17, 1999}}</ref> a claim that has since been extended to [[social media]].<ref name="Marinelli2010">{{Cite news |last=Marinelli |first=Jennifer |date=May 1, 2010 |title=Hunter S. Thompson: The Man, The Legend, and his effect on the Digital Age |agency=Michigan Online News Association |url=http://michiganonlinenews.com/?p=405 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100510034949/http://michiganonlinenews.com/?p=405 |archive-date=May 10, 2010}}</ref> Thompson's gonzo journalism influence is reflected in the current website ''[[Gonzo Today]]'' which features a top banner by Thompson's longtime illustrator Ralph Steadman, with rotating contributions by others including Thompson associate, poet [[Ron Whitehead]].

It has been claimed that Thai writer [[Rong Wongsawan]] wrote in a style that was Gonzo, beginning in the 1960s when he reported from San Francisco. However he wrote in Thai, and he probably developed the style independently of Hunter S. Thompson. He also used the style in his books ''Sattahip'' and ''Takli'' which describe American soldiers and Thai bar girls during the Vietnam War.<ref>Tony Waters (2019). Rong Wongsawan’s Gonzo Journey through California in 1976, A Thai Writer Looks at the Americans, Journal of the Siam Society 107(2) https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pub_jss/article/view/224702</ref>  His book ''The Man from Bangkok: San Francisco Culture in the 60s'' is an English translation of a book published in Thai in 1978.<ref>The Man from Bangkok by Rong Wongsavun (2022), tr. by Tony Waters. Thailand: While Lotus Books.</ref>