The Jeremiad Over Journalism

Knud Buchardt returned to theme of New Journalism not being new in a Danish context, but praised
New Journalism for forcing reporters to do actual reporting. 444
Less than one year later after Klit‘s book, the Gonzo Publishing house named after Hunter S.
Thompsons, self-proclaimed style of New Journalism, was established and soon put out a book
called Reporter Astray which was a compilation of 13 young journalists‘ experimentation with New
Journalism. Among the authors was Lasse Ellgaard who is described by Jørgensen, as ―one of the
central figures,‖ in Danish New Journalism, and also served as the main character of Klit‘s book
about the genre.
Additionally, by 1984 a course called ―The Art of Telling a Good Journalistic Story,‖ was
introduced at the Danish School of Journalism. According to the Danish journalist and author
Mikkel Hvid this feature writing course utilized many of the literary tropes known from New
Journalism and for the first time incorporated the journalistic trailblazing that had occurred in the
United States in the 1960‘s into a Danish curriculum. 445 Consequently, by 1984 literary approaches
to journalism writing reached a broader audience and were so well-known that Berendt that year
declared New Journalism ―dead.‖
―There is no longer a need for New Journalism as an independent form. Like fertilizer that is
slowly integrated into the biological system, the elements of New Journalism have slipped
into mainstream journalism.‖ 446
Berendt thereby agreed that New Journalism had been appropriated by Danish journalistic
mainstream by 1984. In the late 1960‘s, access to learning about New Journalism had first been
―restricted‖ to those Danish journalists who had been in the United States or knew someone that had
that they could learn from, as exemplified by Sabroe‘s experience. In 1980 DJE introduced courses
where New Journalism was part of a bigger whole, but not all Danish journalists were able to attend
444
Knud Buchardt, "Journalistik Er at Rejse Ind I En Fremmed by [Journalism Is to Travel into a Unfamiliar City],"
Journalisten, March 1983. Page 14-15.
445
Mikkel Hvid, Fascinerende Fortælling [Fascinating Storytelling] (Århus: Ajour, 2002). Page 7.
446
Peter Andersen, "New Journalism Er Død... [New Journalism Is Dead...]," Journalisten, November 1984. My
translation. Original text reads, ―Der er ikke længere behov for New Journalism som selvstændig form. Som gødning,
der langsomt integreres i det biologiske kredsløb, er elementerne fra New Journalism gledet ind i den daglige
journalistik.‖ Page 20.
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