You're using a digital camera: https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-598415-1.html#10275516

All digital photos are post processed as has already been noted. A final SOOC JPEG is heavily processed. Film images were post processed and often departed from reality: https://abcnews.go.com/International/photos/pharrell-cover-controversial-magazine-covers-16328228/image-16328306
Whether the photo is faithful to reality or not is entirely a function of the operator and has little to do with how the photo is processed. Relying on SOOC JPEGs to ensure reality in a photo is foolish. Which of the two photos below depicts the reality of the scene. They are both SOOC JPEGs of the same scene at the same time taken at the same exposure. So they both show the same reality? Why are they so different if not for post processing applied in the camera? Why is the color different I didn't change the camera WB? What really is the color of that fish candle holder? How is that not post-processing done in the camera?

You seem to be objecting to the option post processing presents to add or remove items from a photo. That also has been with us since the earliest days of film: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/302289

That is entirely an operator choice and not the result of the processing method. News organizations require SOOC JPEGs because they want to protect themselves from disreputable actors and although SOOC JPEGs won't prevent something like the OJ photo from happening it will at least prevent object addition/removal. It won't however prevent staging: https://historydaily.org/alexander-gardner-civil-war-fake-news

I use post processing of raw files in order to be more faithful to reality than the camera software can creating a JPEG. That's also an option. If you really want to capture the reality of how the scene appeared, post processing a raw file allows you to do that far better than accepting the post processed SOOC JPEG.

I cannot agree with your comment.

First, let me state I shoot only for my own pleasure and have been shooting in raw almost since it first became available.

Using the attached image as an example, The backlighting made exposure a challenge but I was able to tweak the exposure and contrast in Lightroom. Then I lowered the highlights to get more detail in the bright areas of the feathers. There was a cleat and a metal band around the pile which seemed a distraction, so they were cloned out in PS. The pile had a slight tilt to the right which was corrected and the image sharpened. Finally, came cropping. I could not get closer to the bird for fear of causing it to fly off. Much of the background, both mangroves and water seemed irrelevant so I cropped much of it out and was able to place the bird in a position to enhance composition.

So even though I was able to get "it right in the camera," many of the enhancements were only available by processing some corrections made available by having shot in Raw.