Using Yourself as Bait: Personal Notes from a Gonzo Journalist

Sam Cliff
7 min readDec 16, 2023

Over time I realized a balance between inevitably being part of a story — this is my life and I document it honestly, hence Journalism — and using my force of will to affect the outcome.

Bait?

I use the term “bait” as a Noun according to Merriam Webster:

1.a: something (such as food) used in luring especially to a hook or trap

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Sam Cliff

Gonzo School of Journalism, BA & MA, Guitarist, OCTX, IG austin_on_guitar