Truth? I demand that my students understand nature and importance of truth. Yesterday Rudy Giuliani provided an example I’ll use in my classes for years to come. He said “Truth isn’t truth” in his interview on Meet the Press (8/19/18). He was referring to a “he said/he said…” situation in the Mueller investigation. You can watch the video and draw your own conclusions. But look at the headlines about Giuliani interview. Taken out of context, what we see is Giuliani says, “truth isn’t truth.” Is that factual? Yes. Does it accurately convey his meaning? Questionable.
Should Giuliani ever have used that phrase in a network interview? No. He set himself up for a public relations disaster because most people will only read or remember the headline. Cable news commentators will be arguing about it all day, beating him (and the administration) up, and everybody’s credibility (including media) will take yet another hit. The only thing lasting from Giuliani’s Meet the Press interview is not better understanding of an issue, but more shouting on cable news. He sabotaged his own message. It would have been more productive to go to Krispy Kreme or just stay in bed.
It’s beyond difficult to be in the public eye. Every word matters ALL the time. That’s really hard in a live program. I’m sure I wouldn’t do well under that pressure. Giuliani is experienced. He should have known better. He provided a “nuclear” sound bite to his opposition. Media editors have a responsibility to truth as well. They should insist on meaningful headlines not just eyeball bait.
Truth matters. We’d need to respect it more, abuse it less, and realize that while it may be “constructed” it is not a construct.