In the aftermath of the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, one reality has been impossible to ignore: The public no longer waits for courts to decide guilt. Within minutes, video of the attack was circulating online. Social media was flooded with hot takes and blame. Headlines hinted at motives before investigators had even confirmed the most basic facts.
We’ve seen this pattern before, but it’s accelerating. The principle of innocent until proven guilty — a bedrock of American justice — is collapsing under the weight of viral outrage. What we are witnessing is not information-sharing. It is public conviction.
The Kirk shooting shows how quickly narratives take hold. Clips stripped of context spread on TikTok, Instagram, and X. Political framing rushed in — claims of assassination, ideological war, or institutional failure — long before the truth was known. These stories harden quickly, creating pressure on investigators and shaping the assumptions of potential jurors.
The consequences are profound. Pretrial publicity makes it nearly impossible to seat an impartial jury. Prosecutors and law enforcement feel pressure to satisfy the public’s demand for quick answers. And when someone is wrongly suspected, their reputation is destroyed instantly. Even an acquittal cannot erase a digital trail of suspicion.
The ripple effects extend beyond the accused. Families, victims, and communities are retraumatized as violent videos circulate endlessly. The justice system itself loses credibility when people believe outcomes are shaped by social media narratives rather than evidence.
The media, of course, has a duty to inform. But speed is not the same as accuracy. Choices about what images to show, which words to emphasize, and which voices to quote all shape perception. News outlets should resist the urge to sensationalize before facts are confirmed.
Social media platforms bear responsibility as well. Their algorithms favor the graphic, the enraging, and the polarizing — precisely the content that undermines fairness. When outrage becomes a business model, due process is always at risk.
And we, the public, are not exempt. We must relearn patience. We must resist the temptation to assign guilt or motive based on a 30-second video or an unverified claim. Justice is slow for a reason: It relies on evidence, not emotion.
The shooting of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy. But when we convict people before trial, we commit another harm: We erode the very foundation of justice. If Park City and the broader Utah community want to preserve trust in our institutions, we must hold ourselves — and our media — to a higher standard.
Ingrid Middleton
Park City and Hawaii