Axios: Age of viral violence

📺 Age of viral violence
 
Photo illustration of Pete Hegseth in front of a man looking at his phone and a scrambled version of the U.S. flag with television snow
Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Finn Gomez/Getty Images
 
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement that the Fort Hood shooter’s execution will be livestreamed reflects a shift toward putting raw, real-world violence on display for unlimited audiences, Axios’ Neal Rothschild and Herb Scribner write.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has made a show of flexing American power, sometimes with grisly footage. Now, it’s preparing to make the government’s ultimate punishment available for all to see.

The big picture: Americans are increasingly encountering shocking images on their phones, often without warning. Graphic footage of Charlie Kirk’s assassination spread instantly to social media users, including young ones.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, footage from the Hamas attacks and Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has circulated online. Some videos have spread from Telegram to social platforms like X, where clips are easy to find.

Footage of the August 2025 killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train went viral across X, stirring debate about crime and public safety. President Trump later said he had watched the video and wished he hadn’t.

A livestream of Nidal Hasan’s execution would be the first known public broadcast of a lawful execution, according to death penalty experts interviewed by Reuters.

Public executions are increasingly rare worldwide. In recent years, most have taken place in Iran and Taliban-run Afghanistan, according to Amnesty International.

Trump told reporters he had approved the decision to livestream the execution.

But Vice President Vance told reporters yesterday: “I don’t know that that’s actually going to happen … So whatever the controversy is about the method of the execution, I hope that people don’t forget that this is a guy who brutally murdered a lot of innocent people … Now, that said, I mean, look, if it’s ultimately livestreamed, I’m not going to be watching it.”

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About michelleclarke2015

Life event that changes all: Horse riding accident in Zimbabwe in 1993, a fractured skull et al including bipolar anxiety, chronic fatigue …. co-morbidities (Nietzche 'He who has the reason why can deal with any how' details my health history from 1993 to date). 17th 2017 August operation for breast cancer (no indications just an appointment came from BreastCheck through the Post). Trinity College Dublin Business Economics and Social Studies (but no degree) 1997-2003; UCD 1997/1998 night classes) essays, projects, writings. Trinity Horizon Programme 1997/98 (Centre for Women Studies Trinity College Dublin/St. Patrick's Foundation (Professor McKeon) EU Horizon funded: research study of 15 women (I was one of this group and it became the cornerstone of my journey to now 2017) over 9 mth period diagnosed with depression and their reintegration into society, with special emphasis on work, arts, further education; Notes from time at Trinity Horizon Project 1997/98; Articles written for Irishhealth.com 2003/2004; St Patricks Foundation monthly lecture notes for a specific period in time; Selection of Poetry including poems written by people I know; Quotations 1998-2017; other writings mainly with theme of social justice under the heading Citizen Journalism Ireland. Letters written to friends about life in Zimbabwe; Family history including Michael Comyn KC, my grandfather, my grandmother's family, the O'Donnellan ffrench Blake-Forsters; Moral wrong: An acrimonious divorce but the real injustice was the Catholic Church granting an annulment – you can read it and make your own judgment, I have mine. Topics I have written about include annual Brain Awareness week, Mashonaland Irish Associataion in Zimbabwe, Suicide (a life sentence to those left behind); Nostalgia: Tara Hill, Co. Meath.
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