By Chad de Guzman

Copyright time

Sinclair called on ABC to have formal discussions regarding its commitment to professionalism and accountability and on Kimmel to apologize to the Kirk family and to “make a meaningful personal donation to the Kirk Family and Turning Point USA.”

Many on the right, including Trump, have blamed Kirk’s death on leftist rhetoric and called for those who they deemed to have celebrated his death or otherwise made offensive comments about it to face employment-related and other consequences, although it has prompted some backlash from civil liberties advocates.

“The government pressured ABC — and ABC caved. The timing of ABC’s decision, on the heels of the FCC chairman’s pledge to the network to ‘do this the easy way or the hard way,’ tells the whole story. Another media outlet withered under government pressure, ensuring that the administration will continue to extort and exact retribution on broadcasters and publishers who criticize it,” the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonpartisan nonprofit that has criticized both left and right over free-speech issues, posted on X. “We cannot be a country where late night talk show hosts serve at the pleasure of the president. But until institutions grow a backbone and learn to resist government pressure, that is the country we are.”