There is little doubt that the assassination of Charlie Kirk has wrong-footed the left-wing news ecosphere. The left in general seems taken aback by the virulence of the right’s pushback on insensitive, cruel, and shockingly ignorant comments on social media. But it’s unusual to see usually partisan left-wing commentators calling out their brethren for inappropriate remarks about Kirk and his assassin.
Even before Kirk was pronounced dead, MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd was blaming the victim.
“Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful action. And I think that’s the environment we’re in that, that people just can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place, and that’s the unfortunate environment we’re in,” Dowd said.
Less than eight hours later, Dowd was fired, almost certainly at the urging of MSNBC’s corporate bosses at Comcast.
On Friday, Comcast brass, including Brian Roberts, the company’s CEO, and Mike Cavanagh, its president, signed a memo that went out to all MSNBC employees. The memo was also signed by Mark Lazarus, who will be CEO of Versant, the new name for the company being spun off from NBC Universal. Versant will be home to MS NOW, the new name for MSNBC.
The executives wrote, “The tragic loss of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old father, husband, and advocate for open debate, whose faith was important to him, reminds us of the fragility of life and the urgent need for unity in our nation. Our hearts are heavy, as his passing leaves a grieving family and a country grappling with division. There is no place for violence or hate in our society,” the memo said.
The memo mentioned the firing of Matthew Dowd for “unacceptable and insensitive comments about this horrific event.”
Additionally, they said “That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions. We should be able to disagree, robustly and passionately, but, ultimately, with respect. We need to do better.”
I’m sure the MSNBC staff, including TV personalities, were mystified by the idea of “fostering civil dialogue.” Their entire network, from top to bottom, was all about partisan hate, exaggeration, and no-holds-barred political combat.
I doubt whether they could describe ” civil dialogue,” much less practice it.
Dowd illustrates that point. He’s completely unaware that he did anything wrong.
Despite the condemnation from executives, Mr. Dowd has doubled down on his comments. In a post on Substack, he insisted his words were taken out of context, writing, “When the anchor came to me to comment on the ‘national environment’ the only thing known at the time was shots were fired and there was no reporting yet that Kirk was the target or had been shot at.”
“I said in the moment that we needed to get the facts because we have no idea what this could be and that it could easily be someone firing a gun in the air to celebrate the event. Remember Kirk is a diehard advocate of the 2nd amendment,” he added.
Mr. Dowd also blamed the “Right Wing media mob” for the outrage and said MSNBC “reacted to that mob.”
“Even though most at MSNBC knew my words were being misconstrued, the timing of my words forgotten (remember I said this before anyone knew Kirk was a target), and that I apologized for any miscommunication on my part, I was terminated by the end of the day,” he said.
It’s very, very hard to “misconstrue” what Dowd said. He was as clear as day when he blamed the victim for being shot.
Dowd wasn’t the only MSNBC employee to come in for criticism. Host Katy Tur, the most rabidly anti-Trump personality at the network, made the astonishingly stupid suggestion that Kirk may have been killed by “a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration.”
The Comcast executives made it plain that a change in tone was needed.
“Charlie Kirk believed that ‘when people stop talking, really bad stuff starts.’ Regardless of whether you agreed with his political views, his words and actions underscore the urgency to maintain a respectful exchange of ideas — a principle we must champion,” said the Comcast executives.
“We believe in the power of communication to bring us together. Today, that belief feels more vital than ever. Something essential has fractured in our public discourse, and as a company that values the power of information, we have a responsibility to help mend it.
“As employees, we ask you to embody our values in your work and communities,” the statement continued. “We should engage with respect, listen, and treat people with kindness.”
A rebrand for the network into something less radically offensive and left-wing would send most of their top-tier talent heading for the exits, so don’t expect any moderation from this crew.
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