University of Kwazulu-Natal

False Claims About Charlie Kirk S Shooting Are Flooding Social Media

Bonisiwe Shabane
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false claims about charlie kirk s shooting are flooding social media

Kirk was killed Wednesday during an outdoor debate event on campus. Students who witnessed his assassination are reckoning with trauma and grief. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump. (AP video by Thomas Peipert) The New York Young Republicans Club holds a vigil for Turning Point USA CEO and co-founder Charlie Kirk at Madison Square Park on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, in New York.

(AP Photo/Kena Betancur) A flood of false and misleading claims filled social media in the two days it took officials to arrest and publicly identify 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect in Wednesday’s assassination of conservative activist... The reaction followed a well-worn pattern of misinformation and conspiracy theories that often come after breaking news events when facts can be fluid. Those kinds of posts appeared within hours of the shooting, with some of the earliest incorrectly identifying the gunman before officials had released any information about a suspect. More claims spawned on Thursday and Friday, presenting old videos and photos as recent footage of the shooter and erroneously reporting on Robinson’s background. A flood of false and misleading claims filled social media in the two days it took officials to arrest and publicly identify 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect in Wednesday’s assassination of conservative activist...

Social media has been awash in false claims, misinformation and conspiracies following the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. Some posts have garnered tens of millions of views, many claiming the incident was a hoax or that it was staged. Conspiracy sites like Infowars have also picked up on some of the narratives. CBC's visual investigation unit took a look at some of the most popular claims to separate fact from fiction using open, independently-verifiable sources of information. Some online commentators have have pointed out an apparently suspicious aspect of the incident: a black mark on Kirk's right upper chest and shoulder area, which appears to detach and disappear during the shooting. Users have raised doubts about the shooting as a whole or claimed that it was a pre-placed squib, or blood pack, a Hollywood method for faking a gunshot wound.

In countless previous videos of events similar to the one held at UVU, Kirk has worn what appears to be an identical magnetic microphone clip or similar device in the same area on his... In short, the black "mark" on Kirk's shirt is not an anomaly, but a regular feature of his public appearances. This now-deleted post on X, which had received close to 19 million views, raised questions as to why a private jet, flying under the designation N888KG, left Utah's Provo Airport shortly after the shooting. It also notes that the flight's transponder signal was lost roughly 30 minutes later, stating it "illegally turns off ADS-B radar." ADS-B radar refers to flight tracking technology that broadcasts plane positions, viewable via... Reporting credits: Seana Davis, Carmel Jaeslin, Shruthi Ramachandran, Neha Mustafi, Anagha TR, Reuters Fact Check Editing by Rod Nickel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

After the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, social media claims offering political views of the assassination and the reaction to it quickly spread. One message falsely claimed that “not a single Republican condemned” the targeted shooting of a Democratic politician in Minnesota in June. Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, condemned it. Kirk, the founder of the conservative youth political group Turning Point USA and an ally of Trump, was speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Sept. 10 when he was shot and killed. He was 31 years old.

The FBI said on Sept. 11 that it had recovered what is believed to be the weapon used, “a high-powered bolt action rifle,” and law enforcement was still searching for a suspect. The FBI released images of a “person of interest.” Trump and politicians of both political parties, including former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, made statements condemning the killing and expressing condolences. A reader asked us about the validity of one social media message that highlighted the statements of Democrats and then falsely said Republicans hadn’t offered similar condemnations of political violence after the murder of...

A Sept. 10 post on X, which received more than 6 million views, wrongly said: “I would like it to be noted that every Democrat on Twitter,” including Newsom, “is condemning the shooting of Charlie Kirk... Minnesota House of Representatives Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were slain on June 14, and Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot but survived an assault by the same man, who was posing as a police officer. Vance Boelter, 57, was indicted on six federal charges in connection with the murder of the Minnesota lawmaker and her spouse and the stalking and shooting of the Hoffmans. Utah Governor Spencer Cox announced Friday that law enforcement had arrested the man suspected of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.

A flood of false and misleading claims filled social media in the two days it took officials to arrest and publicly identify 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect in Wednesday's assassination of conservative activist... The reaction followed a well-worn pattern of misinformation and conspiracy theories that often come after breaking news events when facts can be fluid. Those kinds of posts appeared within hours of the shooting, with some of the earliest incorrectly identifying the gunman before officials had released any information about a suspect. More claims spawned on Thursday and Friday, presenting old videos and photos as recent footage of the shooter and erroneously reporting on Robinson's background. Stream Philadelphia News for free, 24/7, wherever you are with NBC10. CLAIM: Robinson is a registered Republican.

Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way. Charlie Kirk has been the target and source of multiple contested claims on social media; fact-checks and reporting since September–October 2025 show a mix of fabrications about events tied to Kirk, misattributions of language,... Independent outlets and watchdogs have both debunked specific viral stories—such as a fabricated Arizona State University speaking ban—and documented patterns in Kirk’s public statements that critics describe as promoting hateful or violent themes, leaving... 1. Viral event claims that fact-checkers say were invented and why that matters

Several widely shared posts claimed Charlie Kirk was banned from speaking at Arizona State University in 2019, a narrative repeated as evidence of a victimhood or censorship arc. Fact-checking reporting in September 2025 examined administrative records and contemporaneous coverage and found no evidence that ASU issued a ban or that Kirk was formally prohibited from campus, concluding the story was entirely fabricated... The Economic Times and related debunking pieces emphasize that misattributing institutional actions to a public figure creates a false backstory that amplifies outrage and simplifies complex campus controversies into shareable lies [3]. 2. Misquotes and context-stripping: how words get turned into myths A well-wisher places flowers at a makeshift memorial set up at Turning Point USA headquarters after the shooting death at a Utah college of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old founder and CEO of the organization,...

11, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP) In the hours after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, details about the shooter remained elusive, and social media users and live TV commentary filled the void with false information. As of late afternoon Sept. 11, a day after the shooting at Utah Valley University where Kirk had been speaking, authorities did not have the shooter in custody and had not released any suspect’s name. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents "have been working around the clock in coordination with our law enforcement partners," FBI special agent Robert Bohls said during a Sept.

11 news conference. "We are and will continue to work nonstop until we find the person that has committed this heinous crime and find out why they did it." Two people were taken into custody on the day of the shooting but neither was the shooter and both were released.

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Kirk was killed Wednesday during an outdoor debate event on campus. Students who witnessed his assassination are reckoning with trauma and grief. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA, was a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump. (AP video by Thomas Peipert) The New York Young Republicans Club holds a vigil for Turning Poi...

(AP Photo/Kena Betancur) A Flood Of False And Misleading Claims

(AP Photo/Kena Betancur) A flood of false and misleading claims filled social media in the two days it took officials to arrest and publicly identify 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspect in Wednesday’s assassination of conservative activist... The reaction followed a well-worn pattern of misinformation and conspiracy theories that often come after breaking news events when facts can be fluid....

Social Media Has Been Awash In False Claims, Misinformation And

Social media has been awash in false claims, misinformation and conspiracies following the death of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead at Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday. Some posts have garnered tens of millions of views, many claiming the incident was a hoax or that it was staged. Conspiracy sites like Infowars have also picked up on some of the narrat...

In Countless Previous Videos Of Events Similar To The One

In countless previous videos of events similar to the one held at UVU, Kirk has worn what appears to be an identical magnetic microphone clip or similar device in the same area on his... In short, the black "mark" on Kirk's shirt is not an anomaly, but a regular feature of his public appearances. This now-deleted post on X, which had received close to 19 million views, raised questions as to why a...

After The Fatal Shooting Of Conservative Activist Charlie Kirk, Social

After the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, social media claims offering political views of the assassination and the reaction to it quickly spread. One message falsely claimed that “not a single Republican condemned” the targeted shooting of a Democratic politician in Minnesota in June. Many Republicans, including President Donald Trump, condemned it. Kirk, the founder of the ...