Jokes growing into drama in Matt Taibbi’s speech.

Independent journalism nowadays is something that you should if not be concerned about but at least discuss. “New,” “Free,” “Objective” journalism is believed to be the new page of journalism in general and the new model of journalism considering the development of new technologies and popularity of the Web.
Some people turn to “indy” media because they trust it more and find it more diverse and truthful. Others become “indy-fans” because articles written by independent journalism are more engaging, personal and what is also important funny. “Conzo” journalism is exactly a term used to describe the new type of journalism, or to be more presice the new style of writing articles, where journalists write everything in a subjective, funny manner and the reporter is often an actual participant in his or her own story. "Conzo" journalism was established in 1970's and was actively developed in late 1990's.
One of the most famous representatives of "Conzo" journalism is Matt Taibbi, who visited Ithaca College in New York to give a speech about his own experience in both “old” and “new” kinds of media. The story of his life is itself seems to be a one big experiment in terms of different jobs, places to leave and study. It is no wonder that after Matt has got so much experience in Russia and Mongolia, countries with a totally different culture than the U.S., after being a reporter in the “Moscow Times” in 1990’s, being a freelancer for British newspaper he turned to experimental journalism – independent. From being a basketball player in Mongolia Matt Taibbi now became one of the most famous independent journalists in the United States. His articles and books are known for being funny and serious at the same time. And that is exactly how Matt is in the real life. Laughing at his own mistakes, making fun of problems in his past life and being sarcastic about “old-school” journalism in particular and the whole journalism system in the U.S. and overseas, Matt is representing not only the new type of journalism, but the new type of journalists. Open, honest and of course funny. His endless stories about his experience in Russia, where he first was a reporter for the Moscow Times and then a co-founder of The eXile, an experimental newspaper that represented everything you shouldn’t do in “regular” journalism reporting, were full of sarcasm and jokes, but at the same time everyone could understand what meaning is hidden behind these jokes.
But at one point the jokes about Russian politicians seemed too unceremonious for me for some reason. Maybe my cultural background didn’t allow me to be objective or maybe I am too brain-washed by the “old” type of media, where jokes about politicians are allowed, but not greeted. Somehow or another but I felt offended when jokes about the ex-president of Russia, Boris Eltsin, came to the point when it is not a joke any more, but a scorn. And I think this is one of the main problems in independent media. The problem is that those journalists are not responsible for what they write. They don’t take a responsibility before the editors, the owners of the media outlet and as a result they sometimes forget about ethic issue, which is really important for journalism, old or new. When I asked Matt if there is a line that you should not cross when making fun of politicians, he agreed on that point and it looked like he was even regretting some stuffs he did in the past. That gives a hope and makes me beleive that independent journalism can be funny but tactful at the same time. After all, "Human style" in writing, that Matt mantioned in his speech, is also about human attitude to those you are writing about, even if you don't support his or her views and positions. Indy media is a future of journalism. Then why don't we make an effort to make this new journalism not only funny and honest, but also ethic and correct...