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:
“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.
They probably banned cameras from the courtroom to prevent a show trial like the ones John Gotti received many times. They're getting show trials anyway.
Nobody every thinks of it as a journalism movie, but there's three great lines from one of my favorite Westerns, "The Man Who Shot Libert Valance."
The first is when Jimmy Stewart as Ransom Stoddard, is teaching class, holds up a copy of the Shinbone star and says, "Here's the world's best textbook - an honest newspaper."
The second is when the great Edmund O'Brien as Star editor Dutton Peabody hears the news from John Wayne's character that two ranchers have been killed by Liberty Valance's gang and Wayne admonishes Peabody, "Print that, and he'll kill ya, sure as hell."
O'Brien as Peabody says, " But it's news. And I'm a newspaperman."
The last one is from Peabody's latter day successor as Star editor who says, after hearing the whole true story of "the man who shot Liberty Valance" from Mr. Stewart's character says, "This is the West, sir. When legend becomes truth, print the legend."
I just hope 50 to 100 years from now, that the legends future generations hear about these times are also true. True legends do happen -- as straight and as true as a Caitlin Clark three-pointer from the center court logo.