Immersion journalism

Immersion journalism or immersionism is a style of journalism similar to gonzo journalism. In the style, journalists immerse themselves in a situation and with the people involved. The final product tends to focus on the experience, not the writer.

Overview

Like Gonzo, immersionism details an individual's experiences from a deeply personal perspective. An individual will choose a situation, and immerse themselves in the events and people involved. Unlike Gonzo, however, it is less focused on the writer's life, and more about the writer's specific experiences. Proponents of immersion journalism claim this research strategy allows authors to describe the internal experience of external events and break away from the limiting pseudo-objectivity of traditional journalism.

Critics of immersionism (who sometimes call it "stunt journalism") argue by using such methods writers are just "playing tourist" in the lives (and often tragedies) of other people.

Examples

Print

Book-length examples of immersion journalism include H.G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights; John Howard Griffin's Black Like Me; Ted Conover's Rolling Nowhere, Coyotes and Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing; Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001), Bait and Switch: The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream; (2005), A.J. Jacobs The Year of Living Biblically (2007) and Matthew Thompson's My Colombian Death (2008). VICE Films champions an immersionist style of reporting, and Vice Magazine published several issues on the topic.

Film

Examples of immersionist film include the documentary Supersize Me and Heavy Metal in Baghdad and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

Television and radio

Examples of immersionist programming include the various offerings of media company Vice and segments of US public broadcasting series like Frontline, Planet Money, and This American Life.

Notable figures

Elizabeth Jane Cochrane

Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, known by her pseudonym Nellie Bly is seen as a "pioneer" of immersion journalism. Cochrane made herself the center of the story when she was admitted to a mental asylum undercover to expose the abuse of female inmates at the Women's Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's Island. The series, "Ten Days in a Mad-House", was published in New York World in 1887. The legitimacy of her tactics as a form of credible journalism has been questioned, as she placed in Time's "Top 10 Literary Stunts" which describes journalists who have "elevated the literary gimmick" of immersing themselves in atypical scenarios.

Jon Franklin

Jon Franklin earned a Pulitzer Prize for his feature "Mrs. Kelly's Monster" at the Evening Sun in 1979. Franklin followed a woman through her brain surgery. Unexpectedly, the woman died, and he instead focused his piece on the surgeon, Dr. Ducker. The article includes the details of the doctor's emotionally draining career and the suspense of Mrs. Kelly's operation.

David S Pollack

David S Pollack, known by many names but most frequently Chase Alias and Cubby. Pollack sees his work as Immersion Art. The catalyst for his unique blend of gonzo journalism, method acting and new media art occurred out of personal tragedy. "Basehouse: a Meditation Play-place for Cubby" 2005–2010, was a response to his mothers untimely death. It is a unique social commentary on the world of illegal drugs and how societies propaganda and rhetoric is the true antagonist. "Who I M", series is an undercover examination of gay online hookups and introduces a unique method for presenting Immersion Journalism. Pollack uses actual instant message conversations and overlays them onto the images used in the conversations. He sees his works as a "Mimesis" or mimetic and uses social media and his many blogs to work out his unique art. His work is therefore presented in a New Media Photo-Journalistic Way using various social media outlet, blogs and Creative Commons.

Criticism

Immersion journalism has been criticized for being too subjective and partial to the journalist's opinion. By immersing oneself in the subject for extended periods of time, the credibility of the writer's neutrality weakens. A Washington Post seven-part article which followed Vice President Quayle went under fire for its lack of neutrality. Washington City Paper editor Jack Shafter said the reporters "got way, way too close. With this kind of immersion journalism, you lose perspective, you lose sight of the goal, and you become this authorized biographer."

Robin Hemley's book A Field Guide for Immersion Writing: Memoir, Journalism, and Travel describes David Shield's book Black Planet which observed white fans' "fascination" with black basketball players. Shield "exaggerated and conflated a few things" but was not untruthful. Hemley says that he received scathing reviews, which was a hidden success, since it proved that Shields "hit a nerve."

Practicality also becomes a central issue opposing immersion journalism. A complete work of immersion journalism have flexible deadlines, which not all news sources can afford. The New York Times writer Jesse McKinley spent a month working alongside actors to "expose the daily torment that is life way-way off Broadway." Anne Hull of the St. Petersburg Times worked six months following the lives of a Tampa police officer and the teen who attacked her. However, many news sources value quick stories at a rapid pace to increase profits, according to the Columbia Journalism Review.