By Isabella Simonetti

Comcast called for its staff "to do better" in fostering civil dialogue following Matthew Dowd's on-air comments on MSNBC suggesting that Charlie Kirk's "awful words" led to his being shot.

"We should be able to disagree, robustly and passionately, but, ultimately, with respect," executives Brian Roberts, Mike Cavanagh and Mark Lazarus wrote. Comcast plans to spin off many of its NBCUniversal cable networks, including MSNBC, later this year.

Dowd, who had been a senior political analyst at MSNBC, said on "Katy Tur Reports" Wednesday that "Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions." He added, "You can't stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and...not expect awful actions to take place."

Roberts, Cavanagh and Lazarus called the comments "unacceptable and insensitive."

"I apologize for my tone and words," Dowd wrote in a post on Bluesky after the MSNBC appearance, adding that he didn't intend for his comments to blame Kirk for the attack. Dowd is no longer with the network.

On Friday, he said in a Substack post that he wants to use his voice "to advocate for finding ways to unite our country around a common-sense vision of ideals and values."

The executives said in their Friday memo that the company should champion a respectful exchange of ideas. "Something essential has fractured in our public discourse, and as a company that values the power of information, we have a responsibility to help mend it," they said.

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 12, 2025 11:37 ET (15:37 GMT)

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