Kirk assassination exposes America’s growing partisan divide: Bias Breakdown

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00:00I know I'm just one voice in a very crowded space, but I'm going to use it as best I can

00:06and thank those of you who are willing to listen.

00:09After Charlie Kirk's assassination, you had people from all political sides condemning

00:15political violence.

00:16That was good.

00:17But if you're like me, you noticed on social media and on TV, that unified message stopped

00:24there.

00:24Has the pendulum swung as high as it will go in terms of how divided we are as a country

00:30and what can create the effect of bringing us closer to the middle?

00:36That's the question I keep asking myself after seeing a political assassination drive this

00:42nation's political parties even further apart.

00:46Data we're going to show you indicates we're more polarized as a nation today than in decades.

00:51We're also going to examine the media's role in fueling these flames.

00:57We have to do better.

00:59Stay with me here if you will, so we can have this conversation together.

01:03Welcome back to Bias Breakdown.

01:06On Wednesday, the popular conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking

01:11to students at Utah Valley University.

01:14The media reported Kirk had been shot.

01:16And for almost two hours of wall-to-wall breaking news coverage, it wasn't clear whether Kirk

01:22would survive or not.

01:23A lot of times in these situations, anchors and analysts are speaking off the cuff and

01:28for lengthy periods of time of what they know, what they can tell us about what's happening

01:33on the ground, and everything they know about who is involved.

01:37But in intense moments like this, rhetoric matters.

01:41As one MSNBC analyst would learn after being fired after making these remarks on air before

01:47anyone knew if Kirk had survived.

01:49He's been one of the most divisive, especially divisive younger figures in this who is constantly

01:55sort of pushing this sort of hate speech or sort of aimed at certain groups.

02:00And I always go back to hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful

02:08actions.

02:09And I think that's the environment we're in.

02:11In today's media environment we're in, it's become too commonplace for opinion interjection

02:17and assumptions that often come in the form of commentary.

02:21It's not only media biased by speculation, sensationalism, and flawed logic to blame Kirk's words for

02:29his own assassination, but it's ethically wrong by most standards.

02:35MSNBC called his words inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable in his statement prior to his

02:42firing.

02:42After learning Kirk did not survive, left-leaning media largely used the same words to describe

02:48him.

02:49He is not without controversy, he's taken a lot of controversial positions.

02:53He's also a controversial figure.

02:55He delved into controversial topics, held controversial opinions.

02:59Charlie Kirk has said a number of controversial things over the years.

03:03He is a polarizing figure, he is a lightning rod, he makes some people feel very angry.

03:09Charlie was a very divisive guy, he wanted to be provocative.

03:12Choosing descriptor words, insensitive moments, is an editorial decision newsrooms and individual

03:20journalists have to make based on their own standards and principles.

03:24It can be viewed as biased to choose words like controversial to describe someone who has

03:30just been assassinated.

03:31That's because it can frame that person in a negative light and instead of keeping the focus

03:37on the crime, it then spotlights a debate over the victim's character.

03:43Even if that person is seen as controversial by some, word selection and framing in a time like this

03:49matters.

03:50One political side views Kirk as controversial and divisive.

03:55And some media on the left are presenting these as facts.

03:58But they are subjective qualifying adjectives, another form of media bias.

04:04Because what one political side might see as controversial isn't to another.

04:09Of the big three networks, only CBS News refrained from using terms like these in their primetime

04:15coverage the day of Kirk's assassination.

04:18A controversial figure, Kirk said he was no stranger to death threats.

04:22The 31-year-old had a massive following but was divisive at times, often leaning into thorny

04:27political issues with provocative commentary.

04:30In recent years, Kirk had become one of the most influential conservative figures, rallying

04:35young voters to the Republican Party.

04:37A conservative activist figure, influencer, those would be more neutral terms to use.

04:43Heightened and emotionally charged language also poured in from the right as well, but

04:48in a different way.

04:49This is a war we didn't ask for.

04:51And this is a war they can't win.

04:53The left is a problem.

04:56It doesn't have a problem.

04:57They are the problem.

04:59Like, I'm done tiptoeing around this issue.

05:02To everyone on the left spewing this never-ending rage, hatred, vitriol, we show it to you all

05:07the time, night after night.

05:09You know, shame on all of you.

05:11Democrats, the left are the most violent people in America today, and it is no longer a debate.

05:18We're not the radical type.

05:20But if you thought that you were going to shut a movement down, you're going to get a rude awakening.

05:29You woke us the f**k up.

05:30Right-leaning media and show hosts are uniquely close to this story.

05:35Because the faces you just saw, they all knew Charlie Kirk personally.

05:39The language used is emotionally charged.

05:43Reporting on the facts of the assassination gets lost in anger.

05:48It's biased by word choice, opinion statements presented as facts, and spin.

05:53To frame the story this way, placing the blame of an act of evil at the feet of an entire political party.

06:00Do these narratives sound familiar to you?

06:04Have you scrolled on social media the past few days?

06:07Because this political division we've just shown you from left and right media

06:11is the same rhetoric I see from friends on Facebook or Instagram.

06:16People's opinions they're posting online mirror the media.

06:21The partisan media has become a political echo chamber.

06:24It's just as polarizing as your social media feed.

06:27The way I see this podcast that we have here, it's a place to platform different perspectives.

06:33To show the narratives these media bubbles are projecting onto their audiences.

06:38And hopefully, to use that as a tool for understanding.

06:43Like, maybe I can understand the way so-and-so thinks on an issue.

06:47Because look at what they're being told in their media circles.

06:51Maybe we can understand each other a little better by understanding the narratives we're consuming.

06:56I thought, you know, this podcast could be good.

06:59To expose the different narratives.

07:01To lay out multiple perspectives on an issue.

07:04But this story, it's shown me how sad it is that we even have to do that.

07:10Because today, our media is every bit as divisive and politically motivated as our politicians.

07:18For some outlets, it's not about reporting on issues anymore.

07:21It's about finger-pointing, blame, and activism for one political side.

07:27Just before Kirk's assassination, crime was being politicized on both sides of the media.

07:33The right accused of creating firestorms.

07:36And the left accused of silence.

07:39What used to be fairly easy stories to write up based on facts and official statements.

07:44Has turned into left versus right.

07:47All I can really do here is try to bring awareness to the political messaging within certain outlets in the media landscape.

07:55The facts are masked under a political agenda.

07:59You can't just turn on the news anymore as a means of getting information.

08:03The media is becoming more polarized.

08:06Once again, mirroring Americans.

08:09Take a look at these graphs from a Gallup poll conducted over a 20-year span.

08:13The two major political parties in this country are growing further and further apart.

08:19Of course, Americans aren't going to agree on all of these issues.

08:22Gun laws, abortion, global warming, immigration.

08:25But look at how the partisan divides have deepened.

08:29On gun laws, the difference between Republicans and Democrats grew from 29 points to 53.

08:36On global warming, a 29-point divide ballooned to 52.

08:40On immigration, the gap went from 11 points to 40.

08:45And the same trend with abortion.

08:47The two political parties are feeling stronger on issues in the opposite direction, creating deeper divisions and polarization.

08:56The parties aren't just split.

08:58The pendulum has swung wide.

09:00There's been a lot on my heart with this story.

09:03A lot on my friends' hearts too.

09:05Texting me their sadness and anger over reactions we're seeing online.

09:09The overarching takeaway is this country is divided deeply.

09:15And in some cases, politics seem to be prioritized over empathy.

09:21That's how far we've gone.

09:23What's changed in the 20 years that has pulled us further and further apart?

09:28I can think of at least one thing.

09:30Welcome to the age of social media.

09:32I told my friends what I'll tell you.

09:35Take a break from all of the noise if you need to, when you need to.

09:40I know I'm in news and I'm probably not supposed to say that.

09:43But if you need a break for your peace, then take it.

09:47Remove yourself from the online spaces of negativity.

09:50Our Kennedy Felton had similar advice for our viewers at the end of a draining news week on Friday.

09:55It's not normal or healthy for us.

09:58So how about a digital detox?

10:01Saying I will shut my phone for the next hour.

10:03I am mindfully our entire family.

10:06We're having family dinner.

10:07Phones are off.

10:08Not because I'm this mean controlling parent, but because our brains need a break.

10:12And even when it feels like we're in this negative vortex, sometimes we have to forcibly pull ourselves out.

10:19Remember, there is always hope for a better tomorrow.

10:23Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote this on X.

10:25There are more good human beings than monsters in this world.

10:29Never let social media or any media convince you otherwise just because they give the worst of us the most attention.

10:37Chris Pratt is another good example of using his platform to uplift.

10:41In this moment, please, Lord, calm my restless mind.

10:45Quiet my anxious heart.

10:47Okay.

10:49Now you can continue strolling or you can turn your phone off and go outside.

10:55Might I suggest the latter.

10:56Go get some sunshine.

10:58Go look at a tree.

10:58Touch some grass.

10:59Call a friend.

11:00Falling into these widening divisions of politics is worrisome.

11:05Because that often leaves less room for understanding, healthy debate, and human compassion.

11:12How do we get the pendulum to swing back the other way?

11:16Maybe it starts with recognizing how polarized the country's two ruling political parties have become on issues.

11:24As you saw, both sides are moving further and further apart.

11:27Maybe it'll take real self-reflection.

11:31Is there hate in our own hearts we can try to heal?

11:35Maybe becoming more open to listening to the other side.

11:38Really listening and observing what the other side observes.

11:43That's what I'm trying to bring here to this podcast.

11:46Along with some form of media accountability.

11:49Because the media also needs to do better.

11:52For hundreds of years, the world's news outlets have been referred to as the fourth estate.

11:57It's a reflection on the political power and, more importantly, the public responsibility that journalism has in a society.

12:05We're supposed to be a powerful public service, bringing facts and information to people when it matters most.

12:13But left and right political messaging has been prioritized by news outlets over facts.

12:19And we're going to continue to call it out.

12:23We're small.

12:24I'm very aware of that.

12:26But we have to start somewhere.

12:28And that's your Bias Breakdown.

12:31Thank you for watching this week's episode all the way to the end here.

12:35If you are new here, then welcome.

12:36If you're returning, then thank you so much for coming back.

12:40I want you to know that I do see you.

12:42Those of you commenting week after week on YouTube with your thoughts, your own perspectives and feedback for us.

12:48And honestly, I'm proud that our conversations and the comments are, for the most part, productive and respectful.

12:55I also noticed that Spotify allows users to leave comments and feedback as well.

12:59So I'll be more active on that platform to see what you guys are saying.

13:03Remember, you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, among other platforms.

13:08It always helps out in the algorithms if you can give us a good rating or thumbs up wherever you're watching, too.

13:15Thank you to Ian, Allie, and Heath, who all contributed to this week's video editing and graphics help.

13:21And thank you so much for watching.

13:24Your support right now, even though we're small, it means a lot.

13:27But I believe we can really make something of this together.

13:31Thanks again, be well, and I'll see you next time.

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