"In the minutes, hours and days following the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last week, reaction across social media was wide and plentiful. Most condemned the shooting. Many who spoke out against using violence against those with whom we disagree politically also noted some of Kirk's stances over the years. And, yes, some who criticized Kirk either celebrated his death or, at least, did not seem bothered by it. Although, to be fair, that latter group was in the minority."
"Still, there have been examples of people losing their jobs over comments about Kirk. The Associated Press' Cathy Bussewitz and Wyatte Grantham-Philips wrote, "Several conservative activists have sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive or celebratory, targeting everyone from journalists to teachers. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said she would try to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk's death.""
"Among those dismissed were journalists, though the two most prominent cases involved people who did not celebrate Kirk's death and, in fact, strongly condemned it. MSNBC fired analyst Matthew Dowd for his comments that "hateful words lead to hateful actions," seemingly a reference to Kirk making divisive statements in the past. And on Monday, Karen Attiah, an opinion columnist for The Washington Post, said she was dismissed from the paper for, "Speaking out against political violence, racial double standards, and America's apathy toward guns.""
Following the shooting death of Charlie Kirk, social media reactions ranged from widespread condemnation to celebration by a minority. Many commentators condemned violence while noting Kirk's past stances. Conservative activists sought to identify users whose posts were viewed as offensive or celebratory, and influencers threatened to damage professional prospects. Several people lost jobs over comments about Kirk. High-profile dismissals included MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd after linking hateful words to hateful actions, and Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah after publicly defending freedom, speaking against political violence, racial double standards, and America's apathy toward guns. The incidents raised questions about accountability, free expression, and consequences for public commentary.
Read at Poynter
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