Y'know what would've worked? If he'd told Perry, one of his most trustworthy, stalwart friends, that he was Superman. Then Perry can help him with a cover story, which would be easy-peasy.
I was thinking of this while reading an old Flash comic where Barry nearly got fired by Captain Frye. This man is trusted with the security of all of Central City, and he'd proven himself smart, trustworthy and brave -- he just hated the fact that Berry dropped out of sight at inopportune times, as any boss would. Why not tell him? Frye values the Flash, and he values Barry's skills -- he just can't stand his unreliability. So tell him, fer Pete's sake!
Sorry... had to go on a little rant there. Watching old-school secret-identity silliness is like watching Big Love Of course you have no time and are popping Viagra like Skittles. You have THREE WIVES!
However, I think that Clark Kent telling Perry White his secret would backfire, because I think Perry White would feel duty-bound to publish it. You KNOW if Peter Parker went to J. Jonah Jameson and told him he was Spider-Man, Jameson -- after an impulsive assault on Peter's life -- would plaster it all over the Daily Bugle front page, because he hates Spider-Man, and because he would feel insulted, betrayed, and used. And I would have to think Perry White would feel the same way, although I think his decision over what to do with that knowledge wouldn't be an emotional one.
But I think that Perry White is someone who would look at the position he holds -- editor-in-chief and publisher(?) of the world's preeminent newspaper -- and say to himself, and to Clark, that that HAS to override their personal relationship.
I could see Perry going so far as to fire Clark on the spot, and Lois, too, and maybe even Jimmy Olsen. I could see Perry calling for an outside investigation of every story those three worked on. And I could see him resigning himself when it was over.
Thoughts?
Replies
He probably wouldn't rush off straight away to print it. The public interest is probably in NOT telling anyone about Clark's secret identity. Perry's been around Superman long enough to know that he has extremely good reasons not to tell everyone his secret. The good he does trumps 'the truth', IMHO.
However, looking further ahead, a situation would come up sooner or later where it would seem to be in the public interest/his professional duty to go to press with it.
eg During one of Superman's not infrequent [insert colour here] Kryptonite rampages.
And I'd imagine there's be a lot of emotion involved whatever he did. Perry's not the type to suppress his feelings.
The public interest is probably in NOT telling any one about Clark's secret identity? I'm not sure Perry would reach that conclusion. Yes, he knows Superman has extremely good reasons not to tell everyone his secret -- but that doesn't mean Perry should be one of the ones to keep it.
Consider when Daredevil was outed. Foggy Nelson now knows Matt Murdock's secret -- but Foggy Nelson is a lawyer, and his professional ethics call for him to keep secrets in order to meet his professional obligation to serve his client's interests. But Perry White is a journalist; his professional ethics call for him to reveal secrets in order to serve the public interest. What he wants and what Clark wants matter little in that regard.
I see two issues here: One is the fact that Superman has a secret identity. The other is that Clark Kent is a long-time employee of the Daily Planet. I think the second thing puts Perry on the spot even more than the first thing.
Perry would think: "If I learned Wonder Woman had a secret identity, the Planet would publish that; how could I not publish Superman's identity? Just because we're old friends?" He would be very uncomfortable with that double standard.
And he would HAVE to think about all those stories Clark wrote, and his head would start spinning, wondering how many of them were obtained with, essentially, insider information.
And he would wonder about all those stories Clark and Lois wrote about Luthor, and wonder if the Daily Planet was being used to further an agenda that is not the Planet's agenda.
And as a management-level representative of the company, that places a bigger burden on him than, say, Ben Urich, who figured out Daredevil's secret identity but chose not to write about it, essentially cultivating him as a source.
I kind of think it's like Commissioner Gordon and Batman; they've intimated from time to time that Jim Gordon has decuded who is under the mask, or could figure it out pretty easily if he tried, but has chosen not to. Right off the bat -- no pun intended -- one could surmise that Batman is insanely wealthy, lives locally, and is a white male of a certain age, height, and build. With that, one could come up with a quick list of prospects -- and that's without using any high-tech investigative tools.
But, Gordon hasn't tried, because if he knew -- if he really, really knew, if he had proof that couldn't be dismissed or explained away -- he'd have to act on that knowledge. I might expect the same would be true of Perry White and Superman.
Further - would Perry White really think that the public interest is served by making Superman's secret identity public?
Superman needs his CK identity for whatever reasons, but he needs it to function as Superman in Metropolis. If Superman was 'got to' by his enemies or even decided to leave Metropolis/Earth, where's the public interest in that?
Perhaps we are defining 'public interest' differently. Yes, the public is interested in Superman's secret ID, but revealing it wouldn't ultimately be of benefit to them ie, in their interest.
I can see Perry firing Clark for the reasons you mentioned, but not him hitting the most vulnerable spot of Metropolis' most big-hearted benefactor by 'outing' him.
Its hard on Perry, but do you think he would resign, if, as you say, he can't do his job and not reveal it? Resigning would allow him to get over that hurdle at least...)
Perry's a good editor,but is he also a good man who would put the world/Metropolis before his career?
Also, at least in the 60s and 70s, Jimmy Olsen DID know Batman and Robin's secret identities yet never wrote that story either!
Perry has to trust him -- and generally, I'd say, does trust him, but to find out he'd been lying to him all these years, and had essentially infiltrated his newsroom and was in some way shaping his own coverage -- that could punch a big wide hole in that trust.
I know it was my idea, but the more I think about it, the more I realize Perry (and really, all of his coworkers) are the people Clark needs to keep his secret from most of all. Because he's one giant flying ethics violation.
I like your imagining of Perry's reaction, though, TurningPoint.
He DIED defending them for godsakes, and fought his way back from EVEN THAT so he could protect them some more....
Even without reading his thoughts, his motives are clear. Humans are a suspicious cowardly lot, for sure, but I think Supes would get a pass.
From Perry and anyone else in the newsroom.
I think that Perry would be completely trustworthy. Just because someone knows something doesn't mean that they have to tell the whole world. There are perfectly good reasons to keep secrets, even in the news business, depending on personal scruples, I'm sure.
Case in point: Perry White had cancer, and I don't recall any of the storylines in the Daily Planet about one of Metropolis' most recognizable citizens being stricken with a fatal illness.
Also, Perry is NOT J. Jonah Jameson. Jameson has proved himself to be a worthy publisher of a tabloid rag - even though it's never been outright stated if that's the kind of newspaper that the Daily Bugle is. (But I wonder... would Joe Robertson stick around at that kind of newspaper? THERE'S a guy who strikes with having ethics enough to keep a secret identity... and there have been PLENTY of opportunities for Robbie to learn that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, or that Matt Murdock is Daredevil. If he knows, he's never said...)
Jameson has always been shown as cruel and callous (neither particularly unacceptable in being an Editor in Chief/Publisher), but he's also shown that he is perfectly willing to use the Daily Bugle for his own purposes, abscond with funds from the paper for his own nefarious courses of action, and to libel and defame Spider-Man or anyone else he feels like attacking.
(COROLLARY: And yet, for all that, Jonah has also sometimes been shown as having the integrity of a super hero regarding what does or does not appear in his paper. If only the writers could treat him consistently...)
And as noted... who's to say that Perry never really figured out that Clark Kent is Superman? A guy's in the newspaper business as long as Perry White, he's probably 75% detective anyhow.
Still, I think that Perry, upon learning that his star reporter was Superman, would probably assure Clark that his secret was perfectly safe, and that he would never reveal it to anyone. And then, that Perry couldn't have Clark working for him any more, as it is extremely unethical for a reporter to be the one making the news and then reporting on it. There are other newspaper jobs that Clark could do... but I don't think Perry could keep him as a reporter.
YMMV, of course.
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