Years of Poems and Spirits

I am always fascinated by the process how the image of a public figure is shaped up in people’s minds.

It seems like there is this “caricaturization” process: a caricature is apparently an distortion of a character’s real appearance. Yet such a distortion is so sticky, once it enters in one’s mind, it is almost impossible to get rid of.

Is there a similar effect/process in media’s portray of a public figure? Given that most audiences may have never met/interacted with a public figure, how can such an effect/process generate traction in people’s minds? In other words, there has to be a balance between “what people are willing to hear/believe” and “whether the figure is actually more eccentric in certain ways”. But then to what degree can one (i.e. media actors) blur and distort each of the two in the process of creating a public persona?

The following triggered the above thought:
Source: “Anti-Obama Film On the Way”
“Obama is a completely clean slate,” said David Bossie, president of the group. “We will develop the image that we want the people to see. We’re doing the hard work of the research right now. The American people don’t know much about Obama, except that they like his speaking style.”