Frank Rich on Gonzo Journalism and Blogs (and how they overlap)

In today's New York Times, Frank
Rich traces the linkage between Hunter S. Thompson and Armstrong Williams.
We might call the relationship a negative correlation. Aside from the obvious
issue of authenticity, one of the things that Thompson had that others don't
was an ability to write well "firsthand." From today's NYT:

"Thompson was out to break the mainstream media's rules. His unruly mix
of fact, opinion and masturbatory self-regard may have made him a blogger before
there was an Internet, but he was a blogger who had the zeal to leave home and
report firsthand and who could write great sentences that made you want to savor
what he found out rather than just scroll quickly through screen after screen
of minutiae and rant."

Lasting Concepts: authenticity, good firsthand writing

Implication for PR online: Blogs allow us to break the rules
of mainstream media (MSM), but we still need to write well and write based on
real experience.