Charlie Kirk. (Photo via Kirk’s Facebook)
The Human Rights Campaign, America’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, is demanding that the Wall Street Journal retract a story that falsely linked the suspected shooter of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk to the transgender community.
In the hours after Kirk’s assassination, multiple news outlets and social media influencers rushed to speculate about the suspect’s identity before police had confirmed any details. The Wall Street Journal — owned by the same parent company as Fox News — was among the first to make the unverified connection.
The paper cited an early bulletin “circulated widely among law enforcement officials” in the hours after the shooting. According to that document, investigators had discovered ammunition allegedly inscribed with “transgender and anti-fascist ideology” inside the rifle believed to be the murder weapon. The Journal’s reporting inferred that the killer was connected to the LGBTQ community.
But the bulletin was never verified. As the New York Times noted, analysts with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had not authenticated the document, which also contradicted other evidence summaries and “might turn out to have been misread or misinterpreted,” as the Hill reported.
Subsequent investigations revealed that the “transgender and anti-fascist ideology” in question referred to engravings on spent Mauser .30-caliber, bolt-action rifle casings found at the scene. The etchings included references to video games and internet culture, such as:
“Hey fascist! Catch! ↑ → ↓↓↓”
“notices, bulges, OWO, what’s this?”
“Bella Ciao”
“If you read this you are gay LMAO.”
Later, the Wall Street Journal updated its story to acknowledge doubts about the bulletin’s validity. The paper has not removed the piece, though it has appended an editor’s note retracting its initial claim of “transgender” ideology tied to the casings.
Meanwhile, law enforcement identified the suspect as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was taken into custody after allegedly making an incriminating statement to a family member. That relative told a family friend, who then alerted authorities, according to media reports.
HRC National Press Secretary Brandon Wolf condemned the Journal’s reporting, warning of the consequences of spreading misinformation:
“In the immediate aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder, news outlets and people with large platforms online raced to share unconfirmed reports that wrongfully tied the LGBTQ+ community to the shooter. Jumping to those conclusions was reckless, irresponsible, and led to a wave of threats against the trans community from right wing influencers, and a wave of terror for the community that is already living scared. Many online who peddled rumors with incomplete and untrue details did not care about the facts. They cared about inciting rage. Rage is what makes this country a tinder box. People’s rush to lob hot takes and click bait is not how we are going to get out of this deeply divided, dangerous era. News outlets and people with platforms have to do better.”
Despite Wolf’s call, the Wall Street Journal has yet to retract the story. The WSJ did however add an editor’s note at the beginning of the story, which backtracked the original claim of “transgender” ideology on the bullet casings.
The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.
