The nation is still reeling from the brutal assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a campus event, a grisly act that exposed how dangerously frayed public discourse has become and forced Americans to confront the real-world consequences of political hatred. While grief united many for a moment, the reaction from the media quickly split along predictable lines, with some hosts eager to frame the violence as a problem of rhetoric rather than admitting the hard truth about where much of the hostile energy is concentrated.
On CNN’s panel, former New York City councilman Joe Borelli did what too few mainstream guests will do: he read poll numbers out loud and refused to let the narrative be gaslit away. Borelli calmly cited a YouGov survey showing troubling disparities between how self-identified liberals and conservatives view political violence, and he held Abby Phillip’s feet to the fire until the talking points fizzled and she went uncomfortably quiet.
The numbers Borelli recited were stark: sizable percentages of those identifying as “very liberal” admitted it was acceptable to feel joy at a political opponent’s death and a far-higher willingness on the left to justify political violence compared with the right. Those are not partisan insults; they are poll responses that should alarm every American who believes in civil society and the rule of law. Reporters and anchors who reflexively insist this is “both sides” nonsense are doing the public a disservice.
Abby Phillip’s attempts to dismiss the data as irrelevant or to pivot to hearsay about elected officials only revealed the media’s intellectual dishonesty when confronted with inconvenient facts. When a conservative lays out evidence and the host falls silent, viewers see the gap between the networks’ preferred narratives and the reality on the ground. It’s not enough for journalists to intone phrases about “unity” while refusing to name where much of the celebration of political violence now resides.
Conservative commentator Dave Rubin did what the rest of the old guard rarely does: he amplified the clip, celebrated Borelli’s composure, and reminded his audience that facts matter even when the cable hosts don’t like them. That viral circulation is exactly how the mainstream gets held accountable — by citizens and commentators who will not let the media rewrite what the polls show or whitewash the left’s role in normalizing vicious rhetoric.
If the Charlie Kirk killing teaches us anything, it is that words have consequences and institutions must prioritize public safety over ideological posturing; universities and event organizers must fix glaring security failures so speakers and participants are not sitting ducks. Conservatives should demand rigorous investigations, real reforms on campus safety, and a media that reports honestly instead of shielding a political cohort from uncomfortable truths. The time for polite equivalence is over — hardworking Americans deserve leaders and reporters who will call out violence and the cultures that enable it without fear or favor.
