Boston Globe faces angry readers over Charlie Kirk editorial
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Charlie Kirk at the Republican National Convention in 2024. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The Boston Globe found itself in hot water after publishing an editorial titled "We need more Charlie Kirks" following the conservative activist's assassination last week.
Why it matters: Some readers interpreted the headline as support for Kirk's right-wing ideology, rather than as the Globe says it was intended — a call for more nonviolent political dialogue.
Friction point: Critics argue the Globe's editorial whitewashed Kirk's history of inflammatory statements about the political left and minority groups.
The intrigue: Some readers threatened to cancel their subscriptions over what they took as an endorsement of Kirk's conservative message.
- A Reddit discussion thread on the editorial gained over 7,000 upvotes criticizing the publication.
- After the initial uproar, the Globe responded by changing the digital headline to "Charlie Kirk murder: America needs dialogue, not bullets" and publishing a collection of reader responses Monday.
What they're saying: "We stand behind the message of the editorial which is a reasoned response to the strong emotions surrounding Kirk's killing," Boston Globe editorial page editor Jim Dao tells Axios in a statement.
- Dao said the ed board often adjusts headlines across different platforms, "but in this instance, the decision to change the editorial's digital headline was in direct response to reader feedback."
- He added that the Globe hoped to encourage people to read and engage with the full editorial beyond the original headline.
Zoom in: Letter writers to the Globe documented Kirk's past statements attacking Black people and doctors who provide gender-affirming care, among others.
- Readers also questioned why the Globe didn't publish similar tributes for murdered Democratic politicians.
The Globe had touted Kirk's willingness to openly debate political opponents about the nation's issues at a time America deeply needs it.
- "We don't mean to sugarcoat the way he carried out his activism," the editorial stated. "Kirk could be bigoted, crude, and insulting. But the point is, his weapon of choice was always words."
The big picture: Political violence is leading to a crackdown on political speech.
- After years of mocking censorship, "cancel culture" and discrimination against conservatives, Axios' Zach Basu writes, the MAGA movement is beginning to enforce speech codes to punish President Trump's ideological opponents.