In a letter sent to Friday morning, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and President Brian Roberts teamed with Mark Lazarus as head of Versant (the new company consisting of spun off cable networks, including CNBC and MSNBC) to demand all company employees get their acts together and show more compassion in light of Charlie Kirk’s assassination while focusing on “fostering civil dialogue.”
They began by saying Kirk was someone who “advocate[d] for open debate” and “whose faith was important to him” and thus his murder was a reminder of “the urgent need for unity in our nation” because “[t]here is no place for violence or hate in our society.”
The letter then alluded to former Republican strategist-turned-liberal grifter Matthew Dowd and the wider coverage that was anchored by Katy Tur in the immediate aftermath of the shooting:
You may have seen that MSNBC recently ended its association with a contributor who made an unacceptable and insensitive comment about this horrific event. That coverage was at odds with fostering civil dialogue and being willing to listen to the points of view of those who have differing opinions.
They told employees – with the words ostensibly carrying more weight for MSNBC and NBC News – “to do better” and “be able to disagree” with others, but to do “robustly and passionately” and “with respect.”
“Regardless of whether you agreed with his political views, his words and actions underscore the urgency to maintain a respectful exchange of ideas – a principle we must champion. We believe in the power of communication to bring us together,” they added.
Unfortunately, they refused to explicitly admit their networks played a role in the coarsening of our body politic when they boasted “we have a responsibility to help mend” the “[s]omething essential” that’s “fractured in our public discourse.”
“As employees, we ask you to embody our values in your work and communities. We should engage with respect, listen, and treat people with kindness,” the letter concluded.
Remember this letter the next time Morning Joe, Michael Steele, Ayman Moyheldin, Molly Jong-Fast, Symone Sanders-Townsend, Chris Hayes, Rachel Maddow, or some other progressive on MSNBC (soon to be MSNOW) pops off or there’s some deep dive on NBC about the supposed dangers of the far right.
