MSNBC has fired Matthew Dowd, a political analyst whose on-air comments after Charlie Kirk’s death drew criticism, according to a person at the network briefed on the decision.
During a back-and-forth with the MSNBC anchor Katy Tur on Wednesday, Mr. Dowd remarked that Mr. Kirk had been pushing hate speech, adding that “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.”
Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president, apologized for Mr. Dowd’s remarks, calling them “inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable.”
“There is no place for violence in America, political or otherwise,” she said.
Mr. Dowd issued an apology on social media, saying that he did not intend for his comments “to blame Kirk for this horrendous attack.”
Mr. Dowd wasn’t the only person facing professional repercussions for statements following Mr. Kirk’s death. Sidney A. McPhee, the president of Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, said that the university had fired an employee who made “inappropriate and callous comments on social media” after the shooting.
Benjamin Mullin reports for The Times on the major companies behind news and entertainment. Contact him securely on Signal at +1 530-961-3223 or at [email protected].
The post MSNBC Fires Analyst Who Said Charlie Kirk Pushed Hate Speech appeared first on New York Times.
