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Public perception is the difference between absolute truth and virtual truth shaped by popular opinion, media coverage, and reputation. Negative perception can make it difficult for individuals or industries to improve their image or make substantive changes. Examples include the tobacco industry, political figures, and professional baseball players. Perceptions can be influenced by bias or cultural bias and can be unrealistically positive or negative.
The social phenomenon known as public perception can be seen as the difference between an absolute truth based on fact and a virtual truth shaped by popular opinion, media coverage and/or reputation. Celebrities, politicians, and businesses all face the same scrutiny from the public they serve, and it can be very difficult to overcome a negative public perception. While individual companies may strive to do the right things for the right reasons, how the public views the industry as a whole can make those things that much harder to get going.
Public perception of the tobacco industry, for example, is generally negative. From published reports on the dangers of cigarette smoking to television images of tobacco company executives facing Congressional scrutiny, perception suggests that tobacco company owners favor profit over public safety and would not be willing to stop producing such dangerous products. This image may be based on an absolutely accurate assessment of the industry, or it may be based on biased media reports and faulty scientific studies. The bottom line is that a negative public perception would make it more difficult for individual tobacco companies to improve their image or make substantive changes.
Political figures also need to consider public perception when campaigning for office. While campaigning for the 2008 US presidential election, for example, both candidates faced tough image issues. The Republican candidate, John McCain, has often been portrayed in the media as too old for the position or too moderate politically to represent his entire political party. Democratic nominee Barack Obama has often been portrayed as an Ivy League elitist or too ineffective to be a commander in chief. Both men used public speaking and media interviews to overcome much of the negative perception.
Public perception is not necessarily inaccurate or based on anything other than the truth. The general public can often be provided with enough factual information to form a general opinion about a public figure, celebrity, or industry without relying on unsubstantiated innuendo or rumours. There may be instances, however, where perceptions of a situation are influenced by other issues, such as bias or cultural bias. A defendant charged with a heinous criminal act may or may not be guilty of the actual crime, but perceptions of that type of crime can be difficult for a jury to ignore as they deliberate.
Some situations may be aggravated by their negative effect on public perception. For example, the revelation that a number of professional baseball players had used illegal substances to enhance performance angered many fans, but it also challenged baseball’s public image as a relatively drug-free sport. Public perception of a given situation can be unrealistically positive or negative, which can become problematic whenever true facts emerge and corrective actions need to be taken. This is why many people feel very conflicted when a perceived good person is accused of a crime or a perceived bad industry is not penalized for their actions.
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