OPINION
Premium

Scott MacFarlane Leads a Parade of Media Gaslighting on the Assassination Aftermath

Brad Slager
Brad Slager  |  Sep 15, 2025
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Townhall.com.

Get access to Brad Slager's "Riffed From the Headlines," a daily VIP feature where he looks to bring accountability to the mainstream media. Use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!

Low-Octane Gaslighting – CBS NEWS

  • Scott, your desperation is showing.

Days have been spent in the press attempting to spin the provenance of the Charlie Kirk shooter, straining to avoid the fact that this is a radicalized leftist. Look at the reports showing he comes from a Republican family, for example, but needing to ignore the blatant evidence of his connections with activist people.

Scott MacFarlane was seen playing this very game. He stressed how it was declared that no evidence shows trangenderism played a role in the shooting, based entirely on the wording from one person who is not a law enforcement authority, the governor of Utah. Scott needs to ignore that the FBI is focused on this very aspect in its investigation.

Reporting on the Mirror – WASHINGTON POST

Recommended

Fox News' Greg Gutfeld Just Hurled Liberal Jessica Tarlov Into the Sun Over Charlie Kirk's Assssination Matt Vespa
European Patriots: Too Little, Too Late Alan Joseph Bauer

  • That she sees herself as blameless is a testament to her lack of journalism skills.

WaPo’s Karen Attiah has been let go from the outlet following her incendiary posts on Bluesky about the Kirk assassination. Along with her racially-inflamed comments, she attributed a quote to Charlie that all black women were mentally inferior. He never said such, and was instead addressing a few individuals who had made public statements that they benefited from DEI and/or affirmative action.

That Attiah does not even address her wanton ethical lapse is a sign of her blinders being in place.

Criminal Family Album – VARIOUS OUTLETS

  • To understand, ancient photos cancel out the contemporary evidence, is that the angle?

Much was made in the press that the shooter of Charlie Kirk came from a conservative home and had been raised around firearms. Not to suggest that this had no factor in his actions, the way this has been presented, though, is that these family pics from his upbringing are meant to eclipse any of the current details surrounding what he had been involved with as an adult.

Anti-Social Media – THE NEW YORK TIMES

  • The victim-blaming is strong with Petey.

Appearing on Jeffrey Golberg’s slanted PBS show on Friday, The New York Times Washington columnist weighed in on the Kirk shooting in predictably grotesque fashion: Kirk had it coming!

Baker attributed things to Kirk’s past commentary and spiced up his sociopathic take by also invoking the “toxic culture,” for bad measure.

BlueAnon – FOX NEWS

  • Yeah, this was not a grand look, at all.

Brian Kilmeade has come out to apologize for the comments he made after the Kirk shooting. For reasons still unclear, in a discussion of related matters, including criminal recidivism and homelessness, Kilmeade actually proposed at one stage that the homeless might need to be rounded up and euthanized.

We are not sure if an apology is going to be enough after that, but we shall see.

Artisanally-Crafted Narratives – THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

  • “Look, we are pretty sure they are doing this, so we do not need to go get the evidence.”

The outlet claimed conservatives were blaming the Wednesday shooting on “South Park,” over recently portraying Kirk in an episode. One small problem: Nobody has really been heard saying such.

It quoted a lone nameless person, referenced other randos mentioned in an article from another outlet, and completely misquoted Jesse Kelly in the process.

They also had to ignore a key disqualifying detail: Charlie Kirk had been thrilled when the show had mocked him in the episode.

Gilded Reframe – CBS NEWS

  • Who better to ask concerning a conservative attack? (Answer: Pretty much anyone else.)

As networks were grappling with the proper approach and tone to strike when covering the after-effects of the assassination, there was this deeply off decision from CBS News. A prominent conservative was killed, so who does the network trot out to discuss the issue? Biden speechwriter and historian, Jon Meacham.

Making this all the worse, Meacham is giving his stern and direct lecture on the proper discourse our nation needs to take — the same Jon Meacham who compared Trump's inaugural to Pearl Harbor.

Legalized Press-titution – THE EMMYS

  • Seriously, who did not predict this would happen?!

In a case of less-than-trivial activity, the Emmy Awards were staged. In a dose of overenthusiastic catharsis, many in entertainment circles are VERY excited that Stephen Colbert won for “The Late Show.”

There was a paroxysm of applause over the self-congratulatory display on stage, something that not a single person saw and expected any other result to have taken place.