Jerry Chomyn, head of University of Guelph-Humber’s media studies program, appeared on CTV News on May 15 discussing the legacy of Tom Wolfe following the death of the author and journalist on May 14.
Chomyn discussed Wolfe’s role in New Journalism, a style of news writing and journalism developed in the 1960s and 1970s that used literary writing techniques. He said Wolfe and other journalists wanted to shake things up and “push the envelope” — a phrase originally used in aviation that became popular after Wolfe published his 1979 book The Right Stuff. Chomyn also said a lot of contemporary discussion topics on journalism and how to judge the veracity of information were also the subjects of conversations when New Journalism emerged.
As a professor of media studies for more than two decades, Chomyn has lectured internationally on journalism and communication.