Immersion Journalism That Refers to the Creative Writing of Nonfiction Stories - Essay Example

Prof: Literary Journalism Literary journalism, also known as immersion journalism, refers to creative writing of nonfiction stories. It picks the name “immersion journalism” from the fact that it requires journalists to maintain an active involvement in their exploration of different topics (Purdue OWL 1). This essay presents an analysis of ten examples of literary journalism. Not only does each of the examples of literary journalism articles involve great storytelling, but they also involve revelatory and rigorous investigation that keeps the specifics straightforward. Literary journalism proves that writers or journalists do not have to coin stories to tell important and meaningful stories. Newjack by Ted Conover Conover, a New York based journalist, spend one year as an undercover journalist in Sing Sing Prison. The facility, standing in a debilitated manner, was regarded as a model facility in 1826. However, today, guards never wish to be assigned to the facility. The journalists disguised himself as a guard for the one-year period during which time he researched and wrote about the prison’s history as a go-to execution and detention site. Grappling with ethical issues and staying safe while within the confines of the prison were hard tasks. However, his triumph made the story of how prisons brutalize guards and inmates known. Finally, Conover was able to make it through several weeks of waking up behind the prison’s wall to bring out a lively story (Clark 1). I regard this as literary journalism because of the language that the writer uses and the trouble that he goes through to make his story interesting, yet factual. Conover disguises himself as a prison guard and undergoes through harsh conditions of the prison just to present a historical and day-to-day account. The final report is full of stylistic expressions that make the articles a good read. Salvador by Joan Didion Didion crafted Salvador from a chain of essays penned for the New York Books Review, recounted from the war at El Salvador in 1982. This predominantly petrifying war was directly connected to the United States foreign policy. Didion is concerned with how politicians apply torture and murder – internationally and locally. For America, El Salvador was one of the last sites for the fight against communism. The journalist brings her keen eye to how this developed, where the “dead and their pieces are present in every part of El Salvador, and people take every day for granted.” The writer looks at both the “body dumps” and the “apparition resorts on the desolate Pacific beaches” (Clark 1). Didion’s work stands as one of the best examples of literary journalism. The accounts of the journalists involve more eyewitness journals and less detailed history. With such literary styles and realistic accounts, the journalist brings out the true picture of democracy and compares it to what it is. Bright Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich Celebrated for the authorship of Nickel and Dimed, this author has even more style in her writing. The author begins with what now appears as a clairvoyant assessment of the “pink-ribbon industry “backed by people such as Komen Susan for the Cure foundation, where women are urged to be positive at all times if they want to receive healing. This prompts Ehrenreich to study the history of the United States’ optimism, which is now all but obligatory. “Hope is a sensation,” the journalist writes, while describing positivity as a cognitive stand. Her examination moves through the antiquity of the science healing of Christianity to the opulence of the gospel in today’s big churches. In her writing, she assesses how scholars dubiously embed optimism in their premises as “positive psychology.” Most importantly, Ehrenreich demands to know how self-help and motivational books shot up in popularity at the same time that corporations made trimming down employees a routine in the 1990s (Clark 1). I regard Ehrenreich’s work as literary journalism because of the richness of style in her assessment. She brings her work to life through her use of literary styles. At the same time, though, the writer uses actual incidences – studies of how churches and scholars use terms – to study the positive thinking of the Americans. Through this assessment, the journalist can show how Americans sidelined opinions that seemed anything less than optimistic, leading to the Wall Street fiscal crunch. The Influencing Machine by Josh Neufeld and Brooke Gladstone The Influencing Machine is a partnership by the popular artist of the New Orleans After the Deluge and the co-host of “On the Media” program. The piece uses narrative styles skillfully to take readers through the history of journalism presenting the different challenges and negative aspects of the media. Gladstone tells of the Mayan public associations with the political newsletters in ancient Rome, the various prohibitions that the England newspaper went through in the 1600s, and the revolution time for journalism in the United States (Clark 1). The media and journalism slowly grew out of the oppression time and started enjoying freedom as legislators designed various Acts. According to my assessment, Gladstone’s work amounts to literary journalism. The writer presents as a wry and smart narrator who introduces readers to challenging notions, such as the seven ways through which the media has biases that readers should be assessing. In doing that, the writer maintains facts about the media. Letting Go by Atul Gawande In 2010, Gawande wrote an article about what doctors and pharmacists should do when they are unable to assure patients of their health. The writer looks the physical and moral grapples involved in palliative or end-of-life care. The writer takes this issue personally, and he portrays the characteristics of most doctors – difficulty talking to seriously ill patients about death. How does a doctor strike the right balance between the need to prolong the life of patients and the fact that most patients would rather have non-medicalized and peaceful deaths? Gawande brings intelligence and scrutiny to a story that reverberates through the experience of myriad patients, from a young woman who finds out that she has cancer to an old woman who grapples with a plethora of health problems (Clark 1). I find this story interesting and a perfect example of literary journalism. The writer can combine real experiences and great writing skills to present the limitations of medicine to the readers. The various examples given in the writer’s work are a testimony of the involvement in the societal problem while the great combination of experiences of patients and the concerns of the doctors elucidate the graveness of the matter at hand. A Murder Foretold by David Grann This 2011 article of corruption and assassination presents as a thriller. The story centers on Rodrigo Rosenberg’s death. Rosenberg was a well-known lawyer from Guatemala, who whole-heartedly investigated the murder of one of his client and his daughter. In a twist of events, Rosenberg is assassinated while riding in his motorcycle. A famed spy and a friend to Rosenberg reveal a video that the lawyer left behind showing that the President was behind his murder plot (Clark 1). The author leaves people wondering whether the information is true. Grann’s work is full of profound beauty and surprising revelations that he presents at a time when the state is full of lawlessness. The author manages to present the ongoing corruption and rottenness of the legal system of the nation through a thrilling, almost fictitious, story. His work is undeniably a great example of literary journalism. The Means of Reproduction by Michelle Goldberg Goldberg undertakes a groundbreaking investigation that puts the stakes of women’s health in politics in proper perspective. The Means of Reproduction spans five decades and four continents in a small book of around 250 pages. Goldberg employs a storytelling approach in her work to follow the people at the center of female circumcision, HIV/AIDS, overpopulation, abortion rights, and infant mortality issues. The writer is interested in exposing how the grapples to control reproduction traverse the struggles for global and political power (Clark 1). Universal family planning, after all, was once a renowned policy when America wanted to control population upsurge in underdeveloped nations during the Cold War. However, the policy shifted with the political winds. Goldberg’s work qualifies as literary journalism as it is both entertaining and eye-opening. She manages to present the lives that those women who are at the center of power struggles live. She shows what is at stake through her critical and enthralling assessment – the lives of women. The Intelligence Question by Flora Johnson Johnson’s 1980 article – The Intelligence Question – strikes readers with its provoking title. The article questions whether IQ tests are racial or not, and, therefore, whether schools are placing students inappropriately by picking on too many black students to go to special education sessions. Johnson intertwines the spectacle of the courts with the refined history of IQ tests. Through this captivating story, the reader gets to known the real-life goings that children attending all-black institutes in Chicago go through (Clark 1). The article does not take any side and presents an uncomfortable challenge to readers and developers of IQ test; who are cleaver or stupid people? What is the real importance of IQ tests? I find Johnson’s article and inquiry highly impressive, and it certainly stands out among other examples of literary journalism. The author combines real life experiences with logical questions in an exciting manner. Through the style that the writer employs, he brings out an important matter in a logical and thrilling approach. The Other Side of the River by Alex Kotlowitz An acclaimed author, Alex Kotlowitz, uses a small town, St. Joseph, as a lens to assess the mortal and unsettled stakes of modern day discrimination. The journalist investigates the existing tension between Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. While St. Joseph is relatively prosperous because of its relevance to tourists, a Whites majority inhabits the town. Benton Harbor, on the other end, is predominantly black. The writer plunges himself in the middle of the two towns to investigate the murder of a small teen, whose death illuminates the differences between the two places (Clark 1). The journalist qualifies as a literary journalist because of his involvement in the story directly and his use of creative writing to illuminate the different discrimination issues present toady. His explanation of the two towns and his inquiry into the murder of the teen leads the reader to make important conclusions regarding racism. His analysis and use of literary styles are important in uncovering the looming discrimination. The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan Michael Pollan does not fall short of the definition of an immersion journalist. He uses interesting narratives to present various issues in the unhealthful diets of the Americans. His assessment involves the history of the American diets, the reasons Americans indulge in such diets, and where they practice those dietary habits. The inquiry follows key players in the organic and fast food industries presenting an absorbing narrative. The journalist journeys from science laboratories to hunting grounds examining the wrongs and rights of the American way of eating. The exercise is certainly engaging and undoubtedly humorous involving meticulous research and provocative questions (Clark 1). The combination of humor, inquiry, facts, and writing skills makes Pollan is a great example of literary journalism. The author uses these styles to drive some sense into his readers. He also takes an active approach in this work ensuring that the story he presents is not only interesting, but also factual. Conclusion These examples truly show how writers can be creative and employ humor and other styles in presenting factual stories. Literary journalism is indeed a premise that presents information gathered through active involvement in enthralling manner. The immersion or literary journalists are able to drive logical points home while enthralling readers at the same time. Works Cited Clark, Anna. “10 Examples of Literary Nonfiction That Make Facts Compelling.” AlterNet 2 Apr. 2012. AlterNet. Web. 18 May 2014. Purdue OWL. “Creative Nonfiction in Writing Courses.” Purdue.edu. N. p., 2014. Web. 18 May 2014. Read More