Pack Journalism

Pack journalism describes the practice of journalists covering the same stories from the same perspective. With the advent of 24-hour news programming, reporters from different geographical areas can travel across the globe to cover the same news event. Pack journalism was originally used to label the “packs” of journalists who traveled with political candidates to cover the news on the campaign trail.

The phrase “pack journalism” (also known as “herd journalism” and “fuselage journalism”) is attributed to Thomas Crouse, who introduced the concept in his book Boys on the Bus. Published in 1972, Crouse described how journalists were transported en masse (called “packs”) from one campaign location to another to cover speeches, fundraisers, and other campaign events. During the McGovern presidential campaign coverage, only a few ...