"Matthew Dowd, a political analyst for MSNBC, was the first high-profile personality to suffer consequences for commenting on Charlie Kirk's shooting in Utah last week: During a broadcast following Kirk's murder in front of students gathered at Utah Valley University, Dowd referenced some of the controversial statements Kirk, a strident conservative activist and MAGA supporter, had made in the past. "Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions," Dowd said. "You can't stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and then not expect awful actions to take place." MSNBC apologized for the comments and fired Dowd almost immediately."
"Since then, the list of people who have been fired for sharing their views on Kirk's legacy has grown exponentially. They include Karen Attiah, a columnist at the Washington Post; Charlie Rock, a comms executive for the Carolina Panthers football team, and unnamed corporate employees at Nasdaq, research center the Broad Institute, and the law firm Perkins Cole. Other companies that have suspended or dismissed employees over social media statements or public comments include American Airlines, United, Delta, Walmart, and Office Depot. Meanwhile, the number of those who have been flagged by organized online conservative activists for having made what they consider inappropriate comments has reportedly reached into the thousands."
"Most of the statements about Kirk's death that have landed people in trouble are pointed statements about the late activist's extreme right positions on gun control, race and DEI, or on abortion, feminism, and LGBTQ+ issues. A few have gone further, celebrating Kirk's murder or suggesting he brought it upon himself. But many of these comments explicitly condemn violence and the killing, while still taking issue with Kirk's well-documented talking points. These cases have raised concerns about overzealous responses from companies, and"
Matthew Dowd was fired by MSNBC after linking Charlie Kirk's past rhetoric to violence during a broadcast about Kirk's murder at Utah Valley University. Dowd stated that "hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions," and MSNBC apologized and dismissed him almost immediately. Dozens of other employees across media, sports, research, law, and corporate sectors have been suspended or terminated for comments about Kirk. Some statements celebrated the killing while many others condemned the violence yet criticized Kirk's positions. Organized conservative activists flagged thousands of people, prompting corporate responses and raising concerns about overzealous discipline and speech chilling effects.
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