More than 40 media outlets published misinformation about “transgender ideology” in relation to the killing of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
That’s according to research conducted by the Trans Journalists Association, which identified 43 outlets including the Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic and The Daily Beast running with the disproven stories of a “trans shooter” and “trans bullets.”
This spread of misinformation started with the Wall Street Journal, which reported that there was “transgender and antifascist ideology” on the bullet casings the day after the shooting. While some outlets, like the New York Times, reported skepticism around those reports, others ran with the unproven bulletin and helped fuel a firestorm targeting trans people.
It’s important to note that “transgender ideology” is a term created by, and used for, anti-trans messaging specifically. The TJA advocates against media using the term, as it frames being trans as a “political choice” rather than a lived experience.
This is a fact that is often lost on newsrooms without trans staffers, or at the very least people who are knowledgeable about the way anti-trans rhetoric has evolved in the last few years—particularly when it comes to the “trans shooter” myth.
The aftermath of Kirk shooting became the perfect storm of distraction. It capitalized on anti-trans messaging and conspiracy theories that are so easily mobilized that the truth ceases to matter.
Why you can trust Xtra
