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In their own minds, the makers of broadcast network news think their mission is to hold powerful institutions accountable, to bring the facts to bear on public issues and inform the public for the most robust version of democracy.
That’s not a picture that’s emerged of their coverage since Charlie Kirk was mercilessly murdered in Utah on Sept. 10.. From the first moments of authorities identifying the alleged shooter as Tyler Robinson, the networks sounded like they didn’t want to hold the suspect accountable, that they couldn’t acknowledge the emerging facts, and some network journalists and entertainers aggressively misinformed the public.
Everything they present as “news” is manufactured in political calculation, and in the case of the Kirk murder, they haven’t wanted their side to be blamed for the assassination — even if it’s painfully obvious that the alleged shooter was a leftist. This first came to light with Robinson’s arrest on September 12.
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We quickly learned the bullet casings had messages including, “hey fascist! CATCH!” Another referred to a song “Bella Ciao,” which celebrated the end of Italian fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. But somehow it’s that unclear that Robinson’s alleged targeting of “fascists,” a word that Democrats and their favorite networks use for Trump and his voters.
On the network Sunday shows, the spinning from the left was mind-boggling. On ABC’s “This Week,” Martha Raddatz put the attention on Trump, not the shooter. She questioned Utah’s Republican Gov. Spencer Cox, noting Trump “blamed the radical left. What’s your reaction to that? Is that something you think he should be doing?” Clearly, Raddatz suggested that was rude. She threw the same question at Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah.
When she turned to Colorado’s Democrat Gov. Jared Polis and asked him … to denounce Trump. “He has pointed the finger at what he calls the radical left. Is that the message you believe he should be putting out?”
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On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” reporter Scott MacFarlane completely misrepresented statements by Cox, who during his Sunday show appearances was cautiously trying not to get ahead of the official investigation, with the indictment coming Tuesday. MacFarlane aggressively played down a “trans rights” motive for the murder: “The roommate may have been in a romantic relationship with Tyler Robinson, may have been gender-transitioning. But the governor says there’s no indication or no idea yet if that’s at all relevant to this case.”
On Monday’s “CBS Evening News Plus,” anchor John Dickerson was aggressively playing dumb: “Five days after Charlie Kirk’s murder, the shooter’s motive remains elusive. No writings left behind. Vague, secondhand testimony.” Why would they dismiss all the evidence as “vague”? Because they didn’t like evidence. The facts were not what they wanted.
Less than 24 hours later, Dickerson had to report on the official findings: “we also heard about the possible motivation as Robinson’s parents explained that he had become more radical, more left-leaning.” Were Robinson’s parents “secondhand” sources?
On Monday, ABC’s “The View” crew demanded that people stop trying to blame the left for this latest act of political violence. Sara Haines claimed: “If you don’t get off the ride and stop doing the pointing when it comes to politics, because I don’t think our political division right now is what is driving a lot of these violent acts.” “And when we swear it is just one side, we’re not being part of the solution,” added former Trump aide Alyssa Farah Griffin.
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But by Tuesday, ABC chief national correspondent Matt Gutman used live coverage to express his tender sympathies for Robinson’s trans romance, gushing the text messages released by authorities were “lovingly” stated, “very intimate,” and “very touching.” Gutman didn’t explain how Charlie Kirk was threatening this boyfriend’s life by having an opinion on “transgender rights.”
It shouldn’t be difficult for “news” reporters to discuss a brutal assassination without breaking out in admiration for the assassin. That’s disgusting.
On Monday night, ABC “comedian” Jimmy Kimmel clung to bizarre internet conspiracy theorizing that Robinson was somehow a Trump fan, failing to explain why a Trump fan would murder Kirk. Kimmel huffed, “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” He also alleged that President Trump is mourning Kirk’s death like “a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish. ”
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Two large groupings of ABC affiliates vowed to stop broadcasting Kimmel shows, so “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” was suspended. That led to a wave of supportive network coverage, none of it more absurd than former Clinton spinner George Stephanopoulos going on “Good Morning America” to mourn Republican pressure on the “independent media.”
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ABC’s Elizabeth Schulze was putting out Kimmel-level misinformation, claiming “President Trump now calling [FCC Chairman Brendan] Carr’s decision to cancel Kimmel ‘Great News for America.’” It was an ABC decision, not an FCC decision.
It shouldn’t be difficult for “news” reporters to discuss a brutal assassination without breaking out in admiration for the assassin. That’s disgusting.
NBC’s “Today” turned to former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy to denounce conservative hypocrisy for cheering on “cancel culture” for Kimmel. The blatant hypocrisy belongs to Darcy, who is on the record repeatedly calling for cable and satellite providers to cancel entire conservative networks.
Even after the Kirk assassination, the broadcast networks quickly turned back to their normal framing, where the only side that should be “held accountable” is the Republican side. They are the only ones who are ruining democracy. They are the only ones whose rhetoric is questionable.
The broadcast networks are anti-Trump no matter what develops. Don’t forget this: the networks were overwhelmingly negative in the days after Trump was shot last year. They’re only a “reliable source” if you rely on them to be relentlessly partisan.
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