The Hidden Power of “Paltry”: How Half-Truths Shape What We Believe

In this episode of Now I Get It, I take you into the subtle—but dangerous—world of paltry: the art of lying by telling nothing but the truth. Through stories pulled from literature, current events, and political reporting, I show how selective truth-telling can create powerful false impressions without ever crossing the line into an outright lie. It’s a communication tactic hiding in plain sight, and once you see it, you start noticing it everywhere.

I share examples from Pride and Prejudice, the Ghislaine Maxwell/Jeffrey Epstein media coverage, and recent reporting on healthcare legislation and government shutdowns. Together, we unpack how missing context can distort public understanding, why accountability in storytelling matters, and how we as consumers of information can learn to recognize when we're being told “the truth”—but not the whole truth.

In this episode, you will learn:

(00:30) How “paltry” allows someone to lie while saying only true things

(01:05) How Wickham misleads Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice

(02:30) How media reporting on Epstein and Maxwell omitted essential context

(03:45) Why “repeal and replace Obamacare” was always a misleading claim

(05:30) How government shutdown coverage distorted both parties’ roles

(07:20) How to spot selective truth-telling in everyday news

Let’s connect!

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