ENGLISH
REFERENCE

gonzo

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈɡɑnzoʊ// UK //ɡˈɒnzəʊ// gonzo

adj. describing a style of writing or journalism where the reporter is part of the story. It is often funny, wild, and very personal.

adj. relating to a style of journalism or writing in which the reporter becomes a central character in the narrative. Often characterized by a humorous, chaotic, or highly subjective perspective.


SIMPLE

The reporter wrote a gonzo article about his trip to the desert.

CONTEXTUAL

His gonzo style of reporting turned a simple investigation into a wild, first-person adventure that readers loved.

COMPLEX

While traditional journalism maintains a strict distance between the observer and the subject, gonzo writing embraces the chaos of the moment, often blurring the line between fact and the writer's personal experience.

Synonyms
Origin

Coined in 1971 by Boston Globe editor Bill Cardoso. Of uncertain origin; OED proposes Italian gonzo (“dolt”) and / or Spanish ganso (“dolt, goose”). The etymology supplied by Cardoso himself (French gonzeaux) is spurious.

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