When I was a young woman newly living and working in New York City, I had reason to be walking by the United Nations. There was a small group, maybe ten or twenty strong, holding placards and protesting some now, to me, unremembered injustice. Eyewitness News was there documenting the complaint. Of course, with TV cameras in view, a small crowd of the curious and those who can't resist the opportunity to be filmed had gathered as well.
Later that evening, watching the news, I was surprised to see film of the tiny protest. On the TV, though, it looked as if there had been a large gathering of concerned people. I recognized a few of the onlookers' faces in the back of the group and realized that the way a camera is focused determines how the image is perceived. I learned an important and valuable lesson that day: there is illusion in all that we see on TV.
Question everything. Frequently.
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