Signs Of The Times: Reporter's Weird Experience With Shooting Bystanders

By Karoli Kuns — June 14, 2017

A series of tweets from Politico reporter Kyle Cheney is a disturbing signpost of the times -- eyewitnesses mistrusting reporters, and more.

Two weird things happened that were too small to mention in the moment, but still stuck with me while reporting from the scene this AM.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

I arrived less than an hour after the shooting + overheard a witness - maybe mid-20s - describing the incident in vivid detail by phone.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

So when he hung up, I approached him and asked if he'd share the same details with me, since the events were still murky.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

Seems like a smart thing to do. Get an eyewitness account while all the facts were fresh, right?

Apparently it's a problem now.

He immediately tensed up, and told me that because I was the media - and he hates all media - he wouldn't tell me a thing.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

Never mind that the info might have been valuable to the public at that moment, as I tried to explain. Didn't matter. He said we all "leak"

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

This goes without saying, I'm sure, but reporters don't leak. They report leaks.

Next signpost:

Second strange encounter came at the nearby coffee shop.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

A woman working there on her laptop told me she was relieved when she found out the shooter was targeting members of Congress.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

Why? Because at least, she said, it wasn't random violence.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

It's a strange and unsettling time.

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) June 14, 2017

Yes, yes it is. And this series of 9 tweets sums it up nicely.

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