Lest We Forget: A tribute to America’s journalists

In this, my first shot at writing my own column, there is one recent event I had to take the opportunity to discuss, and I must admit, this column will be unlike those that follow. Sure, there is a lot I want to crack into-an Iraqi constitution, the debate over Intelligent Design, rising gas prices-those issues can wait another week. College Republicans, hold your letters!

Last Sunday, at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, the ashes of the great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson were shot into the sky in a fireworks display honoring the wishes of the late “gonzo” journalist.

Most of you know Hunter S. Thompson; he is no longer esoteric. He is unarguably the most influential journalist of the last century. There has been more than one movie made about the man.

The $2 million monstrosity was attended by family and friends, including Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner and Sen. John Kerry. Bill Murray and Johnny Depp, both of whom portrayed Thompson in film, also attended the display. Thompson, like many great American writers, took his own life in February of 2005 at the age of 67.

So why use this news story as my primary piece?

At the age of 18, with my life going nowhere, I picked up Thompson’s most marveled work, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey Into the Heart of the American Dream.” So blown-away by the beauty of the man’s unconventional style and unsettling honesty, I decided to enroll in college and do whatever it took to become a writer.

I even wrote Thompson, promising him I would dedicate my first published book to him.

This will do for now.

For my inaugural column, I found it not only appropriate to thank my late hero, but to use his lessons to send a message to other aspiring journalists.

Last week, the first Colonnade meeting was so remarkably full, students could barely get through the doors.

So, this is for them.

You are embarking upon the noblest of professions. Remember, journalists remain the most powerful advocates of our First Amendment. An American reporter armed with a pen can take on tyranny and pre-emptive war any day of the week, be it in The Colonnade or The Washington Post.

True, the writing I’ve gotten away with in the Peacock’s Feet is much more akin to his style than my work with The Colonnade. Despite this, Thompson was first and foremost a journalist.

I think it is important for journalists to discover that they can be more than the stories they cover. It is easy to get absorbed into the world of AP style and inverted pyramids. Dr. Ginger Carter beat into me the necessity of these elements. Thompson taught me the necessity of stepping out and breaking the rules at times.

He taught us that sometimes it is not only about the story, but the life lived behind the one writing it.

No, I am not suggesting you drop acid and snort an 8-ball of cocaine before interviewing the dean, though that would be interesting. I simply want to encourage you to someday seek out the opportunity to write those pieces that incorporate the perspectives of the writers themselves.

So, here’s to you, Hunter. Even if no one reads this, or those who do couldn’t give a damn, it doesn’t matter.

If nothing else, I’m a man of my word.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 2 2005. Filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry