Bari Weiss defended her choice for CBS to platform Erika Kirk and the late Charlie Kirk in a recent town hall, emphasizing the importance of having conversations with those we disagree with.
The new CBS News editor-in-chief appeared on CBS Mornings to explain her decision. Weiss was adamant that there are plenty of areas where she disagreed with Kirk, but having those conversations was important, as America is “walking into an abyss as a country.”
“I just fundamentally disagree with the idea that we shouldn’t be able to speak across divides,” Weiss said. “That doesn’t mean that there are not lines. The question, of course, is whether or not Charlie Kirk crossed those lines and in my view, you hear me quote many of the controversial things he said — needless to say, there are many things Charlie Kirk said in his life that I vehemently disagree with, but, to me, that’s not the point. The point is that we are walking into an abyss as a country if we accept the idea that words are violence, but violence, if directed at the right targets, is acceptable.”
She added: “I fundamentally reject that worldview. The entire point of our democracy, the whole premise of it as we’re entering our 250th year, is that we solve our problems by persuasion. We solve our problems by talking to one another. We don’t solve our problems by shooting one another in the neck as happened that day at that Utah college and so, to me, especially as we’re living in a world where you can live next door to someone and if you have different things on your social media feed, you can live in a different reality, and so, the point of this conversation, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, even if they disagree with something they heard on stage, I disagreed with some I heard on stage. The point, that’s the whole nature of the democratic process and this conversation and this whole series that we’re going to be announcing in the coming days, the point is to revive that in a moment this country needs it.”
The town hall with Erika Kirk is set for Saturday, Dec. 13. The “A Town Hall With Erika Kirk” special will air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. The town hall will cover “faith, grief, perseverance and the memory of her husband, Charlie Kirk.”
Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. In the wake of his death, his wife Erika took up the mantle as his Turning Point USA successor and currently stands as chairman and CEO of the conservative youth organization.
The Dec. 13 telecast will be Weiss’ first time appearing on CBS News since becoming its editor-in-chief. “A Town Hall With Erika Kirk” will then stream on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7 afterward.
