The Wall Street Journal was under fire from social media critics Friday afternoon for spreading "incendiary misinformation" in the hours after the Charlie Kirk shooting.
In the initial report, The Journal referenced an early bulletin law enforcement circulated, saying the ammunition they found had engravings signifying "transgender and anti-fascist ideology" inside the rifle believed to be used in Kirk's fatal shooting. Officials later warned against drawing conclusions based on this preliminary information.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox offered some clarity early Friday about markings discovered after initial reports indicated that messages engraved on unspent casings in the .30-caliber hunting rifle indicated the shooter, now identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, expressed support for antifascist and so-called "transgender ideology," but the Republican governor offered new details after the suspect's arrest.
Inscriptions on a fired casing read, "Notices bulges, OWO what's this?" and inscriptions on the three unfired casings read, "Hey, fascist! Catch," "If you read this, you are gay, lmao," and "Oh, bella ciao, bella ciao, bella ciao," while another was inscribed with a series of arrows that appear to be a reference to a maneuver in the video game Helldivers 2.
The Journal then issued the following editor's note:
"An earlier version of this article detailed how an internal law enforcement bulletin said that ammunition recovered following the Charlie Kirk shooting was engraved with expressions of 'transgender and anti-fascist ideology.' Justice Department officials later urged caution about the bulletin by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, saying it may not accurately reflect the messages on the ammunition, and the article was updated Thursday to reflect that. This editor's note was appended on Friday, Sept. 12, after Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the engravings included one that said 'Hey fascist!' along with other messages and symbols. He gave no indication that the ammunition included any transgender references."
Users on Bluesky took issue with the Journal's handling of the information and its quiet edit.
"Jesus f---ing Christ. F--- the Wall Street Journal for spreading the initial bulls---," writer Parker Molloy wrote on Bluesky.
"Just un-f---ing-believable that the Wall Street Journal ran that anti-trans story," Meidas Touch co-founder Brett Meiselas wrote on Bluesky.
"Unconscionably irresponsible at best; willfully endangering the vulnerable at worst. Shame on the Wall Street Journal," Moira Donegan, opinion columnist for The Guardian, wrote on Bluesky.
"If I don't see multiple ~media reporters~ columns about the extraordinarily irresponsible Wall Street Journal report from yesterday morning — and their extensive promotion of that inflammatory report — you all should just pack up and go home," writer Chris Geidner wrote via Bluesky.
"Every single transgender person should join in a class action against the Wall Street Journal," author and game designer Olivia Hill wrote on Bluesky.
"The Wall Street Journal is now walking back its earlier reporting that 'transgender ideology' messages were found on the shooter's ammunition. But it's too late. That story is all around the country and the world. Most who have read it will not see the update. Thanks, WSJ," writer Charlotte Clymer said via Bluesky.
"The Wall Street Journal needs to issue a full retraction and apology to the trans community for this. Nothing less will suffice. They put us all in danger and recklessly put out incorrect information," instructor and writer Alejandra Caraballo wrote via Bluesky.
"The Wall Street Journal’s amplifying of unconfirmed reports that falsely tied the shooter to trans people was utterly reckless. They owe people an apology for fanning the flames & feeding the right wing rage bait machine. You can send them a note here: http://hrc.im/wsj," Brandon Wolf, press secretary for Human Rights Coalition, wrote via X.
Jack Mirkinson, senior editor at The Nation, wrote on Bluesky, "WSJ has now appended this lengthy editor's note to its original report. It notably contains zero contrition for the initial decision to spread such incendiary misinformation."
