Perception IS reality
Perception IS reality
It's hard work to read complete coverage
There are so many examples in the news the past week that prove perception is reality.
By that, I mean the coverage is about perceptions of what the story is about, and not what the story is really about.
For example, when a New York state judge scheduled Donald Trump’s hush-money criminal trial for March 25th, the coverage centered primarily on what Trump had to say about the trial. That’s because cameras and microphones were not allowed in the courtroom to show the American public what Trump’s lawyers said, and what the judge said about the need to schedule the trial. That allowed Trump to stop and comment for cameras and reporters both before and after the court hearing. Since that was the only sound bites to come from scene, that’s what the stories emphasized.
Trump, of course, claimed the trial was all part of a Democrat-led conspiracy he puts under the heading of “election interference.” That’s the perception that gets reported. The reality is indeed election interference, but not in the way Trump intended it. He’s criminally charged for paying hush-money to a porn star just prior to the 2016 election so that voters wouldn’t find out about it prior to voting. THAT is the real election interference that didn’t get talked about much this week. Maybe it will if and when the trial gets underway.
Willis should have known
Another example is the Georgia court hearing this week that brought prosecutor Fanni Willis to the witness stand to testify about her personal relationship with an outside prosecutor she hired to handle the criminal trial of Trump and co-defendants. The perception is that she’s done something ethically wrong – which she may have. Meantime, the reality is lost in all the salacious coverage – the reality that Trump and his collaborators stand accused of trying to steal the Georgia election.
Willis, of all people, should know that perception is reality. How could she not understand how it would all look if she became romantically involved with someone who works for her? Managers should never get involved with people who work for them, not in any workplace situation. It’s especially true for a prosecutor like Willis who has been thrust into the national spotlight with her RICO case against Trump. She had to know every move she made would be under a microscope. She needed to stay so far away from the line that no one could ever accuse her of crossing it.
Whether her relationship affects her ability to fairly prosecute the case is almost beside the point now. The perception that she has poor judgment is now the reality, and it very well may result in Trump getting off the hook in Georgia.
Is Biden’s age the real story?
The final example is coverage of special counsel Robert Hur’s conclusion in the Joe Biden documents case. The reality that there was not enough evidence to indict Biden, the reality that Biden fully cooperated, the reality that Biden immediately returned the documents when they were discovered – is all lost due to the coverage of Hur’s comments about Biden’s age and memory. It all played perfectly into the Republican narrative that Biden is not up to the job.
I don’t think this is an error by journalists covering the story. Reporters often emphasize what’s surprising about a situation. It’s been expected for months that Biden would not be criminally indicted. The shocking surprise in Hur’s report was the comments about Biden’s mental ability. It was perfectly legitimate to cover, so that’s the perception that now becomes reality.
We all must put in the work
There’s nothing you or I can do to change the issue of perception becoming reality. It’s not a new concept but it certainly has been exacerbated by social media and the internet. It’s too tempting to skim the headlines or a quick social media comment and think you know what’s going on. It’s hard work to read complete coverage in a good newspaper to understand what’s really going on. It’s time-consuming to watch cable news coverage of an entire court hearing to get a fuller grasp of the issues.
Since we all tend to skim the headlines and social media from time to time, I would urge all of us to also put in the hard work of reading and watching to become the most informed citizens possible.
We welcome Jason Walsmith, a longtime member of the Nadas, to the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. In addition to his musical talents, Jason is also a storyteller, an entrepreneur and a former journalist. You can check out Jason’s column and other members of the Collaborative below:
Yes, it is hard to read complete coverage. I read the full 345-page special counsel report by Robert Hur on President Joe Biden’s collection of classified documents from his vice presidency.
And I concur with Mr. Hur’s assessment and decision not to prosecute Mr. Biden.
However, I’m a little more skeptical than the special counsel regarding ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, who erased the audio recordings of his interviews with Biden after learning of the Mr. Hur’s assignment to investigate the president.
Although Hur asserts that Zwonitzer cooperated fully and his explanation of the erasure seemed plausible, I’m still suspicious of the timing. But the media didn't cover this.
Despite criticism of the final report from the White House, Department of Justice (DOJ) and several leading democrats, both the White House and DOJ had an opportunity to redact the document. But they declined to do.
Although not defending Mr. Biden, the report cites many instances of those interviewed saying they, too, could not remember their words, events and actions during specific times. In some cases, this seems true. But in others it may be that they are protecting their backsides.
I have no criticism of Hur’s assessment of the president’s memory. Hur inserted that as part of his explanation of why he believed a jury probably would not convict.
Furthermore, as I read the 345 pages, it was apparent that Hur was sympathetic with Biden’s explanation of his possession of documents. And he stated that he believed the president’s explanations.
Regarding recent comments comparing James Comey’s report of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he also criticized her for sloppy work but declined prosecution.
Did his near-the-end of the 2026 presidential campaign affect the outcome? I don’t know. Will Hur’s report affect this year’s outcome? Given Americans short attention spans and that fact that many Americans already have strong opinions about Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I doubt it.
“Since that was the only sound bites to come from scene, that’s what the stories emphasized.” That is true because the nature of video news favors performers. Trump is happy to perform for the cameras, and the news departments oblige him. It’s good for ratings, but less so for conveying the story.