Gonzo journalism

Gonzo journalism is a journalistic style, most famously used by Hunter S. Thompson. It was named "gonzo" by Bill Cardoso.

Gonzo journalism is, in essence, an extension of the "New Journalism" championed by Lester Bangs, Tom Wolfe and George Plimpton. The best work in the genre is characterised by adding novelistic twist to reportage, with usual standards of accuracy subjugated to catching the mood of a place or event. In Thompson's work there is usually a distorted viewpoint brought on by the author's consumption of drugs and alcohol (usually recorded in the article for posterity). As such, much of his output (including the seminal Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas) must be regarded as fiction.

Other writers whose work may be categorised as "gonzo" include P. J. O'Rourke and Tim Jones.