MSNBC Failed the Moment After Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
The assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragedy that should transcend politics. Kirk was polarizing, no question — a brash conservative influencer who relished provocation. But his killing is never a political story first. It is a human one, and in the moments after news broke, the country needed sober coverage and space to absorb the shock.
What it got on MSNBC was something else entirely.
The aggressively progressive network reported the news of a conservative thought leader being shot, an apparent victim of political violence. How MSNBC treated this news was a massive test that they sadly failed.
Within seconds of reporting Kirk had been shot, anchor Katy Tur speculated aloud about whether President Donald Trump might “use the Charlie Kirk shooting as a justification for something bad.” Her guest, MSNBC contributor Matthew Dowd, suggested Kirk’s own rhetoric bore responsibility: “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful actions.” MSNBC Politics reporter Allan Smith wondered if conservatives might now do something similar to the “take over Washington” as it did in response to a DOGE staffer getting mugged. All of this, as viewers were just learning that Kirk had been assassinated.
Too soon.
The instinct to immediately translate grief into partisan analysis wasn’t just jarring — it revealed how MSNBC, and by extension much of the left-leaning media ecosystem, has lost the ability to see political violence as anything other than fodder for the partisan storylines already in place.
Contrast that with how CNN and Fox News handled the moment. Both networks largely stuck to the facts, emphasizing the shocking nature of the act, confirming details as they came in, and leaving space for the human toll. Fox anchors went further, condemning political violence outright while steering clear of speculation. CNN, not usually shy about analyzing politics, showed entirely appropriate restraint. They treated Kirk’s killing first as news, but also as a strong argument against political violence of any stripe.
That’s the crucial distinction. At a time when Americans might reasonably expect a moment of civic pause — a suspension of the endless partisan frame — MSNBC defaulted to reflexive politics. The message, intended or not, was that the life and death of a controversial conservative figure could only be understood through partisan consequence.
It’s worth stating plainly: the most visible political violence of late has indeed come from the left. But extremism is not the sole province of just one party. A conservative leader was assassinated. This is an occasion for somber reflection, unity, condemnation, and mourning.
Instead, MSNBC delivered knee-jerk politics — and in doing so, revealed just how low the bar for responsible journalism has fallen.
This is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.
