Rumors Misinformation About Charlie Kirk Killing Rampant On Social Med

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 18, 2025, 8:09 PM

rumors misinformation about charlie kirk killing rampant on social med

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 To a query beneath a clip condemning Kirk’s killing, Perplexity’s bot account incorrectly said the individual was describing a “hypothetical scenario”, and that Kirk was “still alive.” Updated 2 months ago · Published on 12 Sep 2025 8:18AM IN the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s shooting, Reuters found that both Perplexity’s bot account and xAI’s Grok chatbot provided incorrect responses to queries on X. In response to a query beneath a clip condemning Kirk’s killing, Perplexity’s bot account incorrectly said the individual was describing a “hypothetical scenario”, and that Kirk was “still alive.”

It also responded to a graphic released by the White House that featured a statement on the incident, saying that it appeared to be “fabricated,”, incorrectly adding that there had been “no official confirmation”... The assassination of Charlie Kirk and the proliferation of misinformation The fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University sent shockwaves across the nation, but the tragedy was quickly compounded by a deluge of misinformation spreading across social media platforms. Utah Governor Spencer Cox, in the immediate aftermath, urged citizens to disconnect from social media, citing the rampant spread of false information and the manipulative tactics of foreign actors. The governor’s plea highlighted the growing concern over the weaponization of online platforms, particularly through the use of bots designed to amplify divisive narratives and sow discord. His comments touched on a larger societal issue: the eroding trust in information sources and the potential for social media to incite real-world violence.

Cox’s warnings weren’t isolated. Utah had already initiated legal proceedings against Snap Inc. over concerns about child safety and deceptive practices. The state’s lawsuit against the social media giant mirrored growing national anxieties regarding the addictive nature of these platforms and their potential for exploitation. The intersection of the Kirk assassination and the ongoing legal battle against Snap underscored the urgency of addressing the impact of social media on public discourse and safety. Bots, misinformation, and the case of Michael Mallinson

The governor’s claims about bot activity amplifying misinformation gained traction with the emergence of a specific case: the false accusation against Michael Mallinson, a retired banker from Toronto. Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot erroneously named Mallinson as the suspect in the Kirk shooting. The false information quickly spread across X (formerly Twitter), causing undue distress and reputational harm to Mallinson, who was entirely unconnected to the event. The incident exemplified the real-world consequences of unchecked misinformation and the potential for AI-powered platforms to be used for malicious purposes. The Grok post remained online even after the real suspect was apprehended, underscoring the lack of accountability and the challenges of rectifying false narratives once they gain traction. Rumors, Misinformation About Charlie Kirk Killing Rampant on Social Media

A drone view shows the scene where U.S. right-wing activist, commentator, Charlie Kirk, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University, in Orem, Utah, U.S. September 11, 2025. REUTERS/Cheney Orr Confusion and conspiracy theories spread online after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot during a university appearance in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday.

As the manhunt continued, online speculation, much of it baseless, emerged about the circumstances of the shooting and the identity of the shooter. Online posts also shared fake headlines about the killing, or real headlines with fake timestamps to claim the media had advance knowledge of the plan. And social media users trying to get clarity from AI chatbots found they were misled. 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. Rumors that Charlie Kirk had died began circulating on social media in the immediate aftermath of conflicting posts and unverified claims; some of those early posts were amplified by partisan accounts and dedicated webpages...

The origin story is mixed: the earliest viral items were unverified shares and a now-notorious fundraising website, and separate inflammatory claims from partisan actors helped propel false narratives and threats even as mainstream outlets... 1. How a social-media wildfire seeded the first death whispers The first wave of "he’s dead" posts arrived as short-form unverified claims on Twitter/X and Facebook, where sensational messages travel faster than verification; fact-checking outlets recorded that these items lacked credible sourcing and were... Those initial posts included screenshots, alleged eyewitness snippets, and recycled older images presented without context. The pattern fits classic misinformation flows: a vivid claim + easy-to-share format + partisan interest produced broad reach before reporters could confirm details.

Early debunking notices and corrections arrived within 24–48 hours of the viral claims, but the initial posts had already generated replies, memes, and further spin that made retraction difficult to contain [1]. 2. Opportunistic websites and fundraising pages fanned mistrust People embrace in front of a memorial for Charlie Kirk at the Turning Point USA headquarters on September 12, 2025 in Phoenix. Kirk, the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Wednesday in Utah. Eric Thayer/Getty Images hide caption

Over thirty people across the country have been fired, put on leave, investigated or faced calls to resign because of social media posts criticizing Charlie Kirk or expressing schadenfreude about the conservative influencer's assassination... And more may be to come: some GOP lawmakers and officials are signaling their readiness to punish people for their speech. Conservative activists are collecting and publicizing social media posts and profiles that they say "celebrated" his death and are calling for them to lose their jobs. "If they have their picture on their profile, even without a name, download the picture and reverse image search it," posted right-wing influencer Joey Mannarino. "Cross-reference it with their LinkedIn profile and find their place of employment. Call the place of employment, leave Google reviews."

Some Republican elected officials, along with right-wing influencers with large followings, including Laura Loomer and Libs of TikTok, the account run by activist Chaya Raichik, shared screenshots of offending posts and demanded action. Charlie Kirk's image has begun appearing across a wide range of internet memes Photoshopped and deepfaked clips of the recently killed conservative media influencer have flooded social media, his face pasted onto some of the internet's most recognizable memes. It's as if the web collectively decided to resurrect him through morbid irony. According to Know Your Meme, the first major instance appeared Sept. 23 on X — just two weeks after Kirk’s death — when a user swapped his face with streamer iShowSpeed's in a clip of Speed trying not to laugh.

The post racked up more than 96,000 likes and spawned dozens of viral quote-tweets. But things really snowballed in late October. One TikTok montage stitched together obscure reaction memes — all with Kirk’s face edited on — captioned, "RIP Kirk, your sacrifice meant something." That post alone garnered over 65,000 likes, and many others have achieved similar numbers.

Rumors Misinformation About Charlie Kirk Killing Rampant On Social Med

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