Traditional news organizations were cautious in their mid-afternoon 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, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube — even 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 pu

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