Newswise — Author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson, 67, took his own life Sunday at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado. He made the term "gonzo journalism" a part of the lexicon and helped push the idea that writers should take a more subjective and highly personal touch with their subjects. His best-known book was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Others included Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72.and Kingdom of Fear.
The University of Maryland has a number of experts who can talk about Thompson both as a journalist and as a writer.
Thompson as Journalist
Tom Kunkel - dean, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland.Expertise - media analysis and criticism.
Credentials - a former top editor for the San Jose Mercury, Miami Herald and Cincinnati Post, Kunkle also serves as media criticism columnist for the American Journalism Review. Kunkel served as the director of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at Maryland. He has written extensively about the media and is in demand as a media commentator in print and on air.
Web site - http://www.journalism.umd.edu/faculty/tkunkel/
Carl Sessions Stepp - senior editor of American Journalism Review and professor, Philip Merrill College of Journalism, University of Maryland.Expertise - news editing, reporting and newsroom management.
Credentials - author of two books, numerous book chapters and reviews including Hunter S. Thompson's Songs of the Doomed for the Baltimore Sun (1991) . Stepp has served as a writing and editing coach for newspapers across the country, including The Bergen (N.J.) Record, The Oregonian, The Tampa Tribune, USA TODAY and The Washington Post, as well as Toronto Globe and Mail.
Web site - http://www.journalism.umd.edu/faculty/cstepp/
Thompson as Writer and Communicator
Michael Phillips - lecturer, Department of Communication, University of MarylandExpertise - rhetorical theory and criticism, particularly at the intersection of rhetoric and philosophy. The strategic use of humor by American political figures.
Credentials - presentations have included, "Gonzo Journalism, Hunter S. Thompson, and Presidential Campaigns," National Communication Association, Miami Beach, Florida. Courses include public speaking, argumentation and debate, argumentation and public policy, rhetoric criticism, and the rhetoric of American political humor.
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