In my first try at college, beginning in 1968, I didn’t major in journalism, or English, but experimented with writing, and read voraciously. A literate friend tutored me in the types and styles of writing, including the period’s passionate debate on the merits of “literary” or “new” journalism.

It enthusiastically used subjective literary techniques such as scene-setting, dialogue, and first-person point-of-view rather than the traditional, mainstream approach which attempted to objectively present “just the facts.” For example, Walter Cronkite was trusted and beloved at the time, always ending his news show with the assurance that it was unbiased: “And that’s the way it is,” followed by the month, day and year.

Tom Wolfe, Hunter Thompson, Norman Mailer, George Plimpton (who practiced with NFL and NHL teams and went a few mock rounds with boxing’s Sugar Ray Robinson), and others believed that attempting to be “unbiased” was a fool’s errand. Thompson suggested that other than “box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms.”

They believed that no matter how hard we try, we view events through a unique personal filter, which influences our perceptions and conclusions. The rebellious writers’ enthusiasm and skill at discarding what they viewed as a false persona produced some of the most exciting and popular writing of the time (think Wolfe’s “Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test” and “The Right Stuff,” Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”) and made print magazines like Sports Illustrated, Esquire, and Rolling Stone fly off the shelves.

They broadened our options for information, but today, we need to narrow them because the internet and social media have expanded “news” well beyond one person’s capacity to digest it daily. Other than right- and left-wing extremists, many people struggle to identify trustworthy sources of information while inundated by believable scams, plausible misinformation, false images, willful misuse of language (e.g., Fox News’ self-description as “Fair and Balanced”), and shameless lies.

But the problems of “unbiased” news remain, since it is still written by a necessarily biased human being or group, or a programmed AI bot. The best advice I’ve found is in a lengthy blog/essay by journalist Matt Hershberger (https://betterstrangers.substack.com/p/be-more-biased) in which he methodically destroys the myth of unbiased news while supporting the idea that people should stay informed and engaged. In general, he believes we should understand our biases and those of the sources we choose.

Illustrating facts with humor, he notes that we are all biased or “prejudiced” against certain things (e.g., random killing) and that these biases help form our value system; data can be biased in its focus (e.g., highlighting economic costs of immigration vs. economic benefits); and journalists and outlets show bias by choosing which stories to cover (a sensational crime story vs. a policy failure). He describes a “fair” story or series as one that offers all sides a chance to speak (or decline comment).

His overall recommendations include identifying media sources that admit their bias rather than hiding it; analyzing our personal biases and venturing outside our comfort zone; and being humble by realizing that some of what we believe now, or believed previously, will be proved wrong. Hershberger notes that human beings have never unanimously agreed on a single truth in religion, government or culture, and finding a single “truth” in journalism is probably just as futile.

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But he dismisses the overwhelming desire to be “fair” as a possible road to “complete moral spinelessness.” Instead, he suggests becoming “more biased” by taking actions to support our beliefs and value system. His final parable involves our probable choice to help one man against a powerful, murderous attacker, but notes that the aggressor would probably charge that we were “unfair” to his point of view and lifestyle.

The story brings to mind a common recent political and cultural debate. “Liberals” have often pushed for higher taxes on wealthy people and lower taxes and more services for middle- and low-income earners. “Conservatives” generally dismiss those ideas as a form of “class warfare.”

My response has always been, “Of course it is, but the war started years ago with the wealthy attacking the earnings of lower economic classes. Just look at the consistent growth in the gap between rich and poor!” I am prejudiced in support of lower income groups against those in the upper 10%, 1%, and 0.1% who started this war and continue to support it. And I’m comfortable, even proud, of my bias.

Allen Woods is a freelance writer, author of the Revolutionary-era historical fiction novel “The Sword and Scabbard,” and Greenfield resident. His column appears regularly on a Saturday. Comments are welcome here or at awoods2846@gmail.com.