Pack journalism
Encyclopedia
Pack journalism is an often derogatory term used to describe the tendency of news
reporting to become homogeneous. The term was coined by Timothy Crouse
.http://www.timporter.com/firstdraft/archives/000433.html
Pack journalism occurs because the reporters often rely on one another for news tips or are all similarly dependent on a single source for access (which is often the very person they are covering). A type of groupthink
occurs, as the journalists are constantly aware of what the others are reporting and an informal consensus emerges on what is newsworthy.
The term can also be applied in kind to entire news organizations. For example, pack journalism can occur when a news organization decides to make a particular story the lead story only because other news organizations are doing so.
The media coverage of the 1972 presidential election campaigns is the most famous example. The coverage of the campaigns was deplored in depth by both Timothy Crouse
in his 1973 book The Boys on the Bus
, and by Hunter S. Thompson
in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
.
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
reporting to become homogeneous. The term was coined by Timothy Crouse
Timothy Crouse
-Family:Timothy Crouse's affinity for campaign reporters and the theater took root thanks to his father, Russel Crouse, who was a career newspaperman and playwright. "The stories he told me of his newspaper days—especially traveling around the country with prankish sports teams—had a fatal tinge of...
.http://www.timporter.com/firstdraft/archives/000433.html
Pack journalism occurs because the reporters often rely on one another for news tips or are all similarly dependent on a single source for access (which is often the very person they are covering). A type of groupthink
Groupthink
Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. It is the mode of thinking that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without...
occurs, as the journalists are constantly aware of what the others are reporting and an informal consensus emerges on what is newsworthy.
The term can also be applied in kind to entire news organizations. For example, pack journalism can occur when a news organization decides to make a particular story the lead story only because other news organizations are doing so.
The media coverage of the 1972 presidential election campaigns is the most famous example. The coverage of the campaigns was deplored in depth by both Timothy Crouse
Timothy Crouse
-Family:Timothy Crouse's affinity for campaign reporters and the theater took root thanks to his father, Russel Crouse, who was a career newspaperman and playwright. "The stories he told me of his newspaper days—especially traveling around the country with prankish sports teams—had a fatal tinge of...
in his 1973 book The Boys on the Bus
The Boys on the Bus
The Boys on the Bus is author Timothy Crouse's seminal non-fiction book detailing life on the road for reporters covering the 1972 United States presidential campaign....
, and by Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72
Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 is a collection of articles covering the 1972 presidential campaign written by the gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson and illustrated by Ralph Steadman...
.