Reality is often measurably different from the perception projected through the media. But the speed of that projection, and thus of that perception and of the public’s response thereto, is such that policy must now be made in response not to the reality but to the perception. Thus the media have the power (consciously or not) to create a perception that can force a response which objectively becomes "reality" but which may have nothing to do with the original "real" reality. This contributes not only to the appearance of chaos but also to the making of crises.
