The Truth

Throughout this collection of essays, Didion expresses doubts about the significance of ‘truth’ in non-fiction writing and in art, at least as far as the common meaning of the word is understood. Instead, she posits that to form a truthful picture of the news or of a subject, what is important is not objectivity, as people typically expect, but rather an acknowledgement of their very subjectivity. By informing the reader of their respective biases, writers in particular are able to convey truthful meaning much better since they speak directly to the reader and allow them to come to their own opinions.

In “Alicia and the Underground Press,” Didion first expands upon this idea of direct subjectivity versus objectivity. While lamenting the self-righteousness of mainstream newspapers and their supposedly objective reporting, she praises underground newspapers for the brave way in which they typically reveal their author’s stances...