All of our experience, be it first hand or other, we tend to interpret and fit into our world view. That is a larger phenomenon, a later one on the process.
My remark about imbued with truth was really about our instant reaction to a photo. Absent manipulation, which we tend to assume isn't in play, we know that at least those things were in front of the lens at that instant. That basic simple truth we tend to extend outwards, we tend to imagine that we know what is going on in the scene. It's an extension of the same habit we have with regard to our first hand experiences.
To be honest I don't know if this is backed by research or if it's just the consensus among some thinkers. It feels right to me.
Of course anyone with a degree of sophistication, especially a photographer, will back up, take stock, and apply some skepticism. I can't speak for you, but still my initial response to a photo is one as described. I view it as true, I think I know more than I do. It requires a conscious effort to undo that.
This may be changing as digital manipulation becomes more and more ubiquitous, easier, and as more 'trusted' sources are busted.