Despicable Charlie Kirk Coverage Proves It's Time To Shut MSNBC Down | Bobby Burack

Friday morning, MSNBC’s corporate leadership issued a rare mea culpa over its coverage of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

In a staff memo, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, President Mike Cavanagh, and Versant CEO Mark Lazarus apologized for the coverage and for remarks made by former senior political analyst Matthew Dowd, calling them "unacceptable and insensitive."

Dowd had been fired earlier this week after suggesting Kirk’s "awful words" had brought about his own murder — comments made just minutes after the death of the 31-year-old was announced.

The letter opened with solemn language:

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.

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. We believe in the power of communication to bring us together.

As employees, we ask you to embody our values in your work and communities. We should engage with respect, listen, and treat people with kindness.

Accountability vs. Cancel Culture

Dowd deserved to be fired.

There’s a difference between cancel culture and accountability. Cancel culture punishes people for opinions that clash with elite orthodoxy. The Left thrives on cancel culture. Accountability means consequences for unjustifiable actions. The Left loathes accountability.

MSNBC didn’t fire Dowd for his beliefs about Kirk. It fired him because he tried to justify the murder of a husband and father. There is no room in the American media to sanitize political violence.

Dowd’s outburst wasn’t an isolated lapse, either. It's part of a broader culture at the network. Within minutes after his death, anchor Katy Tur wondered whether President Trump would "use the Charlie Kirk shooting as a justification for something bad." Reporter Allan Smith then speculated whether conservatives might launch their own "take over Washington."

No one on set challenged Dowd when he floated the idea that one of Kirk's own supporters may have shot him "in celebration" of guns.

What purpose do segments like that serve, other than to downplay the murder of a political opponent? In fact, what purpose does MSNBC serve other than to stoke vitriol and hysteria?

Rebrand To MS NOW

NBC News is in the process of distancing itself from the cable news network, spinning it off to Versant under Lazarus, who will rebrand the network "MS NOW."

Even NBC, a liberal outlet in its own right, wants nothing to do with the channel. Stooges like Brian Stelter insist MSNBC is simply a left-leaning alternative to CNN or Fox News. Maybe that was true ten years ago. Not anymore. Today, MSNBC is hateful and openly tolerates — even encourages — rhetoric that normalizes political violence.

CNN still has value as a 24/7 global news operation. Fox News gives a voice to millions of voters ignored by the corporate press and shines light on stories no one else will — like the racially motivated murder of a Ukrainian refugee in North Carolina.

MSNBC, by contrast, is a mere megaphone for voices too fringe and radical for other left-leaning networks.

After the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump last year, multiple MSNBC commentators suggested he staged it himself. The network even pulled "Morning Joe" the following Monday, afraid its own hosts and guests couldn’t cover the story professionally.

"I have many questions! 🙋🏾Like where are the medical reports? What caused Trump’s injury and what was the injury? Shrapnel? Glass? A bullet? Where were the three attendees who were shot seated or standing relative to Trump?" Reid asked.

"Why was Trump allowed to stand and pose for photos, fist pumping for nearly ten seconds while asking about his shoe when there could easily have been additional shooters? How did the gunman manage to get on the roof of the building where the local police were literally inside?"

Even without a balding Joy Reid, the channel’s talking points haven’t changed: Trump is Hitler. White Americans are a threat to black Americans. Conservatives like Charlie Kirk are "white supremacists" or "fascists."

This rhetoric breeds hate. Hate breeds violence. MSNBC isn’t offering commentary from the left. It’s trafficking in hysteria and destruction. The channel too often feels demonic in nature. 

Final Word

We aren’t calling for cable providers to cancel MSNBC because of its wacky politics. We’re calling for them to hold the network accountable.