How did Tom Wolfe help popularize the term New Journalism?

Tom Wolfe was one of the most influential promoters of the New Journalism movement, helping to define and popularize the genre through both his creative reporting and his critical writing.1

Wolfe demonstrated the potential of the style with his 1963 piece, "The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby," which utilized vivid scenes and a distinct personal voice to cover hot-rod culture. This work became a model for the movement's capabilities. Furthermore, in 1973, Wolfe published the book The New Journalism, in which he explicitly analyzed and codified the features of the genre, effectively cementing the term in popular discourse.1

While Wolfe is widely credited with establishing the movement, he notably attributed the foundational influence to Gay Talese, whose literary approach to reporting for magazines like Esquire helped pave the way for the style.1