They were careful of explicit images as always. But did that make any difference?
Traditional news organizations were cautious about mid-afternoon coverage Charlie Kirk’s assassination On Wednesday, in order not to portray the moment he was shot, he instead showed him a video of him throwing his hat at the audience, causing wildly scattered spectators to panic in the moment that followed.
But in practice, it was hardly important. The filming Gory videos were available online almost instantly from several angles, in slow motion and real-time speeds. Millions of people saw it.
The videos were easily found on X, Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram and YouTube. This is even true social, when President Donald Trump posted the official words of the death of a conservative activist. It showed how the role of “gatekeeping” in news organizations has changed in the age of social media.
Kirk was filmed at a public event in front of hundreds of people on the University of Utah campus. Many of them call to record celebrities about how to spread video evidence for news events.
X had a video showing a direct view of Kirk being shot, his body recoiling and blood gushing out of his wound. One video was a loop showing a moment of shock in slow motion that stopped before blood was seen. Another one taken from Kirk’s left included audio suggesting that Kirk was talking about gun violence the moment he was shot.
For over 150 years, news organizations such as newspapers and television networks have long become accustomed to “gatekeeping” when it comes to explicit content. Make editorial decisions about violent events and determine what images and words will be displayed on the platform for readers and viewers. But in a fragmented era of social media, smartphones and instant video uploads, editorial decisions by legacy media have no impact than ever.
Joseph Bogle is standing outside the Timpanogos Regional Hospital on Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 in Orem, Utah. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
Images are spread all over the country
All over the country in Ithaca, New York, Sarah Klepps’ teenage son professor texted her about Kirk’s assassination shortly after school and was able to access her cell phone.
No, she told them. He was shot, but there were no reports of him being dead. Her son replied: Have you seen the video? There is no way he survived it.
The video was posted and reposted at lightning speed. One of X urged him to “stop the violence,” but included a clip of the shooting. Several people took them to social media to plead to prevent people from spreading the images. Read the message “For the love of God and Charlie’s family” “Just Stop.”
YouTube said it has removed “graphic content” related to the event if it doesn’t provide sufficient context and restricts the video so that it cannot be viewed by users under the age of 18 or unsigned users.
“Our hearts are in Charlie Kirk’s family after his tragic death,” YouTube said. “We are closely monitoring our platform and highlighting the news content on our homepages significantly with recommendations to help people stay informed during searches and with recommendations.”
Meta rules do not prohibit posting videos such as Kirk’s filming, but they apply warning labels and do not appear to users under the age of 18. The parent company of Instagram, Facebook and threads introduced reporters to its violent and graphic content policies. Representatives of X did not immediately return a request for comment.
This is an issue previously addressed by social media companies, and is just as scary as it is. Facebook has been forced to fight people who want livestream violence Massive shootings in New Zealand In 2019, Kreps at Cornell University said that the author of the upcoming book, “Utilizing Confusion: Building a Future of Technology Without Breaking Society.”
Wellwisher will pay homage to Phoenix on Wednesday, September 10th, 2025 at a makeshift memorial at Turning Point USA’s National HQ following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, CEO of Utah College Events. (AP photo/Ross D. Franklin)
You reach the other side
Some images have permeated more traditional media. TMZ posted a video of Kirk. In Kirk we hear a shot and a voice saying, “Oh, my god,” but Kirk’s upper body was blurred. A similar video with a blurry image of Kirk was posted on the New York Post website.
In this atmosphere, the care that most traditional news outlets show may look quaint or old fashioned. But news industry leaders are keenly aware of protecting people from graphic images when they don’t expect it. What’s happening to them is a bit difficult online and many people need to search and click on the image if they want to see it.
He also states that important messages sent from news outlets are cautious about what they show, Kleps said. “Traditional media can amplify and validate behavior,” she said. “It could be a signal to how things are stigmatized rather than being validated or normalized.”
However, the readily available shocking images on the day of shootings in a politically polarized country poses a risk that made society’s wounds even more painful.
“I don’t know how many indications there are on the other side of this, how we get, as people, as nations,” said David Chalian of CNN. “I think we’re broken and potentially beyond repair.”
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San Francisco Associated Press Correspondent Barbara Ortutay contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about the media on the AP. Follow him in http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.
