How News Streamers Covered the Killing of Charlie Kirk
Midday on Wednesday, the popular left-wing streamer Hasan Piker was live online when a commenter mentioned that Charlie Kirk had been shot at an event in Utah. Piker, who goes by the username HasanAbi on the streaming site Twitch, often spends up to eight hours a day broadcasting to his nearly three million followers. Like Kirk, he’s known for a combative style of debate against political opponents. His unvarnished take on current events has made him one of the most influential news figures for left-leaning young Americans. He and Kirk were scheduled to go head-to-head later this month at an event at Dartmouth College.
Initially, Piker was skeptical of the reports. “It’s my job to make sure I get this fucking breaking news story correctly,” he said. Then, as his viewers watched him, he studied a video of the shooting. “I can’t believe I just saw that,” he said, burying his face in his hands. “You do not want to see that.” The shock quickly faded. Within a few hours, Piker began to do the thing for which he is famous: inserting brash political commentary. “Trump has done so many insane things and Republicans are clapping along the entire time,” Piker said. “This is the obvious consequence of turning up the temperature like this.” The livestream has been viewed nearly four million times.
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