Even if it's the act of a "lone wolf", as first suggested by US President Donald Trump, Saturday night’s White House Correspondents' Dinner drama certainly did not happen in a vacuum. And just as mass shootings have become commonplace in a United States overrun by firearms, so have attempts on the lives of political figures.

Read moreSuspect in press gala shooting charged with attempted assassination of Trump

We ask about the latest targeting of the US president and the echo chambers that amplify vilification and hate, that turn adversaries into enemies, as well as a social media landscape where conspiracy theories can make a better fit than facts, both as ideology and as a business model.

In the buildup to that White House Correspondents' Dinner, all the talk was of how traditional media – already on the backfoot – would respond to all the bashing, particularly in the week that saw a mega-merger that could change the course of globally renowned news outlet CNN. But we'll never know, as the speech never happened.

Read more‘Staged’: Conspiracy theories spread online after thwarted shooting at White House press gala

Partisanship has always existed. But as the United States gets set to mark its 250th anniversary, is this time different? Is the level of verbal violence specific to a nation where gerrymandered constituencies encourage radical rhetoric? Or do more and more people globally think they're above the law?

Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Ilayda Habip, Charles Wente.

Culture of hate? Trump's America and the White House press gala shooting

The Debate