Staff Reports
Watching ABC’s Matt Gutman sit on national television and describe the alleged assassin’s confession texts as “very touching” was a slap in the face to every American who values decency and justice. Instead of honoring Charlie Kirk’s life or recognizing the brutality of an assassination at a public event, parts of the mainstream media rushed to humanize the killer, and that choice tells you everything about their priorities.
The facts released by Utah County were stark and chilling: prosecutors say 22-year-old Tyler Robinson confessed in texts, detailed his planning, and even left a note telling investigators “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I’m going to take it.” Authorities have filed formal charges and emphasized the gravity of the crime as they work through the case. These are not abstract rumors but court-level allegations laid out in a public charging conference.
What makes Gutman’s on-air gushing worse is that he later posted an apology saying he “deeply regret” his words — an apology that reads more like damage control than contrition when the initial broadcast already did the damage. The networks keep giving soft coverage and then a perfunctory mea culpa when the outrage machine turns on, and conservatives are right to demand better than reflexive sentimentality toward a confessed killer.
Conservative Americans and public figures weren’t silent about it; the backlash was immediate and furious, because this isn’t just tone-deaf reporting, it’s part of a larger pattern of media elites who reflexively sympathize with perpetrators when it suits their narrative. Outrage isn’t manufactured here — it’s a natural reaction to a double standard that excuses or excuses-away violent acts as long as they can be shoehorned into identity politics.
Let’s be clear about what the press conference revealed: prosecutors say the suspect’s messages were addressed to a romantic partner who is described as transitioning, and those messages — including alleged admissions — were used as key evidence. The instantaneous decision by some outlets to foreground the killer’s tenderness toward his partner instead of the cold-blooded murder of a public figure is a moral failure dressed up as nuance.
Americans who cherish free speech and the rule of law should demand accountability — not just from ABC for a reporter’s graceless take, but from an entire media culture that rewards performative empathy for criminals while trampling the victims. Charlie Kirk devoted his life to public debate and civic engagement, and the least the country can expect is sober, respectful reporting that doesn’t excuse murder or weaponize identity to soften an assassin’s crimes.
