In a media world that loves sharp lines, discussions of the Trump shooting follow a predictable path

There aren’t a lot of facts. There are, however, an avalanche of conclusions.

So it goes in many corners of the news media and among its frequent commentators in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Authorities haven’t established why a 20-year-old Pennsylvania man attempted to assassinate the former president — and, now that the gunman is dead, may never know. That hasn’t stopped media figures and politicians from robust speculation. President Joe Biden, Democrats and left-leaning media have all been blamed, with no proof. Then there’s the ever-popular, amorphous, definition-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder target — “they.”

“They tried to incarcerate him, now they tried to assassinate him,” said Jacob Chaffetz, a Fox News contributor.

Taken together, it’s a reflection of what breaking-news coverage in a modern media world was built for — drawing sharp lines, leaning into epic stories, leaving little room for middle ground or sometimes even the truth.

Various assertions of varying credibility

Some of the assertions have been specific. “The Republican district attorney in Butler County, Pa., should immediately file charges against Joseph R. Biden for inciting an assassination,” U.S. Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia wrote on social media. “The Democrats and the media are to blame for every drop of blood,” said Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green.

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