MSNBC said Dowd is no longer with the network after his comments, shortly after the shooting, about “hateful words” leading to “hateful actions.” Both MSNBC President Rebecca Kutler and Dowd apologized for the remarks, which Kutler called “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”
Dowd said he didn’t intend for his comments to blame Kirk for the attack. Still, it brought an abrupt interruption to his work as a television commentator, which the former aide to President George W. Bush has done for nearly two decades.
A Florida reporter was suspended for a question posed to a congressman. A comic book writer lost her job because of social media posts, as did educators in Mississippi and Tennessee. “CBS Mornings” host Nate Burleson was attacked for a question. An Arizona sports reporter and a Carolina Panthers public relations official both lost jobs.
The site published a running list Thursday of targeted posts, along with the names, locations and employers of people who posted them. While some posts contained incendiary language, others didn’t appear to celebrate the shooting or glorify violence.
The president of Middle Tennessee State University said he’d fired a staffer who offered “callous and inappropriate comments on social media” about the assassination.
X post by Tennessee GOP Sen. Marsha Blackburn identified an assistant dean of students at MTSU who posted online that she had “ZERO sympathy” following the shooting. Blackburn said the person should be ashamed and fired.
The rush to police commentary appeared to have little precedent in other recent examples of political violence, such as the 2022 attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, or the shooting deaths earlier this year former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband Mark.
A writer for the Arizona media company PHNX Sports was fired after conservative activists called attention to a series of online posts that attacked Kirk’s positions on guns and Gaza and called him evil.
Burleson, a former football star turned anchor for CBS News’ morning show, was attacked online for asking former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the air Thursday whether this was a moment for the Republican party to reflect on political violence.
These are misleading points meant to provide talking points for low iq morons that can’t think critically and don’t read beyond what they want to hear. You should be ashamed of yourself for spreading this ******** if you are at all aware of any real fact regarding any of these situations. It’s embarrassing that people still watch and listen to the lying bias media.
### 1. Specificity of Matthew Dowd's Comments on MSNBC
- What the text says: It focuses on Dowd's general remarks about "hateful words" leading to "hateful actions," notes Kutler's description of them as "inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable," and mentions Dowd's apology clarifying he didn't intend to blame Kirk. It frames this as the core issue ending his nearly two-decade commentary career.
- What's omitted: The text does not include the full, more speculative portion of Dowd's on-air response during MSNBC's breaking coverage with anchor Katy Tur around 3 p.m. ET on September 10—before Kirk's death was publicly confirmed and while details were still emerging (initial reports only mentioned "shots fired" at the event). Dowd said: "We don’t know any of the full details of this yet. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration... 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. Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions." This "celebration" speculation—implying a pro-Kirk gun enthusiast might have accidentally (or recklessly) caused the incident amid Utah's permissive gun laws and Kirk's pro-Second Amendment stance—drew particular outrage from conservatives, who viewed it as not just victim-blaming but absurdly dismissive of a targeted assassination. It amplified accusations that Dowd was politicizing the tragedy in real-time, portraying Kirk's supporters as potentially responsible for his death.
- Why it matters: This detail explains the "furor" (as Deadline described it) more vividly than the text's vague summary. Dowd later defended it on Substack (September 12) as a caution against rushing to judgment in a "toxic" media environment with easy gun access, emphasizing it was said "before anyone knew Kirk was a target." However, the omission softens the perceived insensitivity, making the firing seem primarily about tone rather than a combination of speculation, divisiveness, and poor timing. MSNBC's decision was also influenced by parent company Comcast's internal memo (September 11) urging "respectful exchange of ideas" and criticizing the comments as "at odds with civil dialogue."
### 2. Broader Context on the Timing and Initial Confusion Around the Shooting
- What's omitted: The text doesn't convey how chaotic the immediate aftermath was, which fueled many of the controversial statements. Kirk was shot at approximately 12:20 p.m. MT (a single sniper shot from ~200 yards away, later confirmed as a targeted assassination with a high-powered Mauser .30-06 bolt-action rifle engraved with anti-fascist slogans like "Hey fascist, catch!"). His death wasn't announced until ~2:30 p.m. ET, and early reports (including from Turning Point USA) described only "shots fired" at the outdoor event, leading to speculation like Dowd's. By September 13 (today), a suspect—Tyler James Robinson, 22, from southern Utah—had been arrested on charges including aggravated murder, with authorities citing his recent "more political" radicalization and anti-Kirk sentiments (e.g., calling him "full of hate"). No evidence supports the "supporter celebration" theory; it was a deliberate act from a rooftop.
- Why it matters: This context humanizes some comments as products of incomplete information but also highlights how quickly narratives formed. The text's focus on post-event repercussions skips how right-wing influencers (e.g., Laura Loomer, Libs of TikTok) began doxxing and amplifying "celebratory" posts within hours, accelerating firings— a scale of online vigilantism that outpaced prior incidents like the 2022 Paul Pelosi attack.
### 3. Details on Other Individuals and Cases
- Florida Reporter (A.G. Gancarski): The text mentions a suspension for a question to Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) about campus carry laws. Omitted: The question was texted ~20 minutes after initial shooting reports (pre-death confirmation), phrased as: "Does this change your mind on campus carry?" Fine posted it publicly, calling it opportunistic. Publisher Peter Schorsch suspended Gancarski for the "unacceptable" timing but indicated a brief reinstatement, framing it as a policy test gone wrong rather than malice.
- Comic Book Writer (Gretchen Felker-Martin): Omitted: Her deleted Bluesky posts were explicitly violent and celebratory (e.g., "Hope the bullet’s OK after touching Charlie Kirk" and "Thoughts and prayers you Nazi b—-"), tied to Kirk's anti-trans rhetoric. DC Comics canceled her "Red Hood" series citing violations of their "no hostility or violence" policy, amid broader LGBTQ+ community tensions.
- Educators in Mississippi and Tennessee: The text notes firings for social media posts. Omitted: In Tennessee, MTSU Assistant Dean Laura Sosh-Lightsy's Facebook post said "ZERO sympathy" and "hate begets hate—he spoke his fate into existence," amplified by Sen. Marsha Blackburn's X post demanding her removal. In Mississippi, University of Mississippi staffer Lauren Stokes was fired for resharing a post calling Kirk a "white supremacist" and rejecting prayers. Both cases involved university leaders (e.g., MTSU President Sidney McPhee) emphasizing "institutional values" over free speech, with no appeals mentioned.
- Nate Burleson on "CBS Mornings": Omitted: The "attack" was intense conservative backlash (e.g., from Meghan McCain and Erick Erickson on X) to Burleson's September 11 question to Kevin McCarthy: "Is this a moment for Republicans to reflect on political violence and the impact of rhetoric/misinformation?" Critics called it "blaming Republicans," but Burleson framed it as bipartisan reflection on Kirk's "offensive" words toward communities. No firing, but it highlighted media double standards.
- Arizona Sports Reporter (Gerald Bourguet) and Panthers PR Official (Charlie Rock): Omitted: Bourguet's PHNX Sports posts called Kirk an "evil man" who "cheered horrific murders in Gaza" and refused to mourn his "hateful rhetoric" on guns/school shootings. Rock's Instagram said, "Why are yall sad? Your man said it was worth it," with a Wu-Tang Clan track alluding to the neck wound. Both firings (September 11) were swift, with employers citing anti-violence policies; Bourguet's also referenced Kirk's pro-gun views ironically clashing with the incident.
- Running List of Targeted Posts: Omitted: The "site" refers to aggregator accounts like Libs of TikTok and "DOGE" (anonymous right-wing trackers), which doxxed ~30+ people by September 11 (a Thursday), including names, jobs, and locations. Some posts were incendiary (e.g., joking about the bullet), but milder ones (e.g., "no tears for his rhetoric") were also targeted, raising free speech concerns. WIRED reported threats and harassment as a result, with over 30 repercussions by September 13—far more than in the Pelosi or Hortman cases.
### 4. Overall Omissions in Framing the Story
- Scale and Precedent Comparison: The text notes "little precedent" in prior violence (e.g., 2022 Paul Pelosi attack, 2025 Melissa Hortman shooting). Omitted: The Kirk case's uniqueness stems from social media's role—right-wing campaigns doxxed commenters en masse within hours, leading to 30+ firings/suspensions by September 13, vs. ~5 in Pelosi's case (mostly conspiracy spreaders, not job losses). Bipartisan condemnations (e.g., from Trump calling Kirk a "martyr," Gov. Josh Shapiro decrying "unconscionable violence") are underplayed, as is the suspect's profile (anti-Kirk radical, not a "supporter").
- Media and Political Backlash Dynamics: Omitted: Comcast/NBCUniversal's September 11 memo to employees warned against "insensitive" coverage, influencing MSNBC's response. Dowd accused the network of caving to a "right-wing media mob" on Substack, claiming internal support but external pressure from Trump allies. This adds irony, as the text positions the story as a "rush to police commentary" without exploring how corporate caution amplified it.
- Potential Bias or Balance: The text neutrally lists cases but omits that most targeted individuals leaned left/progressive, criticizing Kirk's views on guns, Gaza, trans issues, etc. It also skips celebrations from some conservatives (e.g., fringe posts gloating over "karma") and the FBI's $100,000 reward for the suspect (announced September 11).
In summary, the accounts aren't misleading but are selective, prioritizing a high-level overview over granular, controversy-fueling details like Dowd's full speculation. This can leave readers with an incomplete picture of the raw, speculative chaos that drove the firings, emphasizing consequences over the inflammatory origins. For a fuller view, cross-referencing with outlets like The Guardian (for Dowd's exact words) or Al Jazeera (for fact-checks on early rumors) is essential.
