"Traditional news organizations were cautious in their midafternoon coverage of Charlie Kirk's assassination Wednesday not to depict the moment he was shot, instead showing video of him tossing a hat to his audience moments before, and panicked onlookers scattering wildly in the moments after. In practical terms, though, it mattered little. Gory video of the shooting was available almost instantly online, from several angles, in slow-motion and real-time speed. Millions of people watched."
"Video was easy to find on X, on Facebook, on TikTok, on Instagram, on YouTube - even on Truth Social, where President Donald Trump posted official word of the conservative activist's death. It illustrated how the "gatekeeping" role of news organizations has changed in the era of social media. Kirk was shot at a public event before hundreds of people at a Utah college campus, many of them holding up phones to record a celebrity in their midst"
Traditional news outlets avoided showing the moment Charlie Kirk was shot, instead airing pre-shooting footage and crowd reactions. Graphic videos of the shooting appeared almost instantly online from multiple angles, in slow motion and real time, and were widely viewed. Platforms hosting the footage included X, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Truth Social, where President Donald Trump posted official word of Kirk's death. The shooting occurred at a public Utah college event attended by hundreds whose phones recorded the incident. The rapid social-media spread diminished traditional editorial gatekeeping over violent imagery.
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