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Comcast executives have issued a word of caution to employees after MSNBC fired political analyst Matthew Dowd for comments he made in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s shooting death on Wednesday, Sept. 10
“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,” read the letter from Comcast CEO Mark Roberts, Comcast President Michael Cavanagh and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus. “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.”
It continued, “You may have seen that MSNBC recently ended its association with a contributor who made an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event. 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.”
Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune/Getty
Kirk, a right-wing media personality and political organizer, was shot and killed during a speaking event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. He was 31.
After the news broke, Dowd, 64, appeared on MSNBC Live With Katy Tur, where the host asked him about “the environment in which a shooting like this happens.”
“He’s been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this, who is constantly sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups,” Dowd said of Kirk. “And I always go back to, hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions. And I think that is the environment we are in.”
“You 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,” he continued. “And that’s the unfortunate environment we are in.”
Dowd later shared an apology to his BlueSky account, writing, “My thoughts & prayers are w/ the family and friends of Charlie Kirk. On an earlier appearance on MSNBC I was asked a question on the environment we are in. I apologize for my tone and words.”
“Let me be clear, I in no way intended for my comments to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack,” Dowd continued. “Let us all come together and condemn violence of any kind.”
In their letter, Comcast executives urged their employees to “engage with respect, listen, and treat people with kindness.”
“Charlie Kirk believed that ‘when people stop talking, really bad stuff starts,’ ” the memo continued. “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. 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.”
Comcast owns NBCUniversal and still temporarily controls MSNBC. In the coming months, a newly formed company called Versant will spin off from Comcast and take many of NBCUniversal’s cable channels with it, including MSNBC, which will soon be retitled MS NOW.
President Donald Trump was the first to share the news of Kirk’s death following his shocking assassination. He has since announced that he plans to posthumously award Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
“The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead,” the president shared on Truth Social on Wednesday afternoon. “No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us.”
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Kirk rose to fame after co-founding Turning Point USA at just 18 years old to advocate for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.
Leading up to the 2020 presidential election, his three-hour radio talk show, called The Charlie Kirk Show, made him a close ally of Trump’s and, in 2020, he was appointed by the president to a commission promoting “patriotic education.”
He also frequently went viral for events like the one in Utah, where he would travel to college campuses and debate students with opposing political views.
