About an hour before Charlie Kirk was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound, Karen Leader, a Florida Atlantic University art history professor, had logged on.

Leader was following the news of Kirk’s shooting on the social media site X. It didn’t look good for Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA. Leader quickly reposted a message condemning the shooting.

Then, Leader saw a narrative begin to form on her timeline about Kirk’s life. She saw posts painting Kirk as a noncontroversial free speech champion. The professor saw evidence to the contrary, and she wanted to weigh in.

She reposted an account that noted Kirk’s take on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which he called a “mistake,” and his pro-gun rights stance. The next day, while conservat

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