At various times in its history, literary journalism has been viewed as a subversive mode of expression and a threat to traditional journalism and its values. But in the twenty-first century, at least in the United States, literary journalism has become safely ensconced within the mainstream. Markers of its arrival in this position include its role in prize-winning journalism, a Supreme Court ruling that endorsed one of its key techniques, the rise of professional conferences devoted to literary journalism, and its expanding presence in the academy. While all this recognition for literary journalism and its related fields (such as narrative journalism, gonzo journalism, and creative nonfiction) may be viewed as a healthy development, such newfound acceptance and respectability may also come at a price of diminished impact and reduced levels of innovation for a genre that boasts a long history of social critique and advocacy on behalf of marginalized groups and points of view.