Media largely did not cover, or covered with bias, claims by some on the right and left that Kirk was being pressured over his evolving stance on Israel.
Editor's Note: Updated at 1:16 PM ET to include media coverage of Netanyahu's statement.
Some unlikely sources on the far ends of the political spectrum — Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, both rated Right, and Max Blumenthal at The Grayzone, rated Left — claimed Charlie Kirk was experiencing pressure from donors and influential people due to his “evolving” stance on Israel’s involvement with the U.S. in the months before his assassination. Few media outlets are covering the claims, and the ones that are have done so with bias.
On Sept. 15, The Grayzone (Left) was the first to cover anonymous sources (attendees of an influencer retreat Kirk held in the Hamptons on Aug. 4 and 5) who allegedly claim billionaire pro-Israel funder Bill Ackman had “arranged an intervention in the Hamptons during which sources say he and others “hammered” Kirk for the conservative leader’s growing criticism of Israeli influence in Washington. Kirk came away fretting about Israeli “blackmail,” sources say, as he contemplated a Catholic conversion.”
Also on Sept. 15, Candace Owens (Right), a friend of Charlie Kirk (Right) and former Turning Point USA Communications Director, alleged on her show that Kirk was being pressured over his changing stance on Israel, also citing anonymous sources.
On Sept. 16, Tucker Carlson (Right) appeared to confirm this, saying on his show that donors "tormented Charlie Kirk until the day he died" because he allowed Carlson to criticize Netanyahu and US involvement in Israel’s war at a TPUSA event. Carlson alleges Kirk lost a $2 million donation because he pledged to bring Tucker to his next event, and said the American Jewish Committee put out a statement calling Kirk an antisemite (AllSides was unable to locate this statement). Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Republican and former Florida representative, said on X, “I have personal knowledge as to many of the claims Tucker is making here. They are 100 percent true.”
Ackman denied the claims on X, saying it was “slander” and stating, “at no time have I ever threatened Charlie Kirk, Turning Point or anyone associated with him…I have never blackmailed anyone, let alone Charlie Kirk.” Ackman stated he “never offered Charlie or Turning Point any money in an attempt to influence Charlie’s opinion on anything.”
Most major, mainstream media outlets were silent on these claims. AllSides found coverage from the New York Post (Lean Right), Axios (Lean Left), AL.com (Center), Daily Beast (Left), Mediaite (Lean Left), Daily Mail (Right), and less-known outlets such as The Root (Lean Left), The Latin Times (Unrated), and an entertainment outlet called Meawww (Unrated). The claims were also covered by Megyn Kelly (Right) on The Megyn Kelly Show.
Despite little traditional media coverage, the chatter over Israel and Kirk reached such a peak online that Netanyahu issued a statement on X Wednesday; media outlets including Washington Examiner (Lean Right), Newsweek (Center), New York Post, Mediaite, The Independent (Lean Left), Fox News (Right), The Daily Mail, and Yahoo!/The Jersusalem Post (rated Lean Left and Center, respectively), covered the statement, though only Daily Mail included the claims about Ackman in its coverage; The Independent briefly mentioned Carlson's claims that Kirk "did not like Bibi Netanyahu.”
Owens said the Hamptons meeting was “essentially an intervention was staged by Bill Ackman, because Charlie’s thoughts, Charlie’s rational thoughts about Israel, were a no-no...Bill Ackman was very upset, and threats were made.”
Owens claims that during the Hamptons meeting, Benjamin Netanyahu was called and Charlie was invited to Israel. “This was an under duress situation, I would say,” she said. “And I know that Charlie was offered a ton of money in this moment. A ton of money, BB [Netanyahu] would fund it, you know, spend tons of money, and Turning Point, I guess, if it needed to go to a higher level, would go to an even higher level than it was already at. And I know for a fact that Charlie denied that funding…he declined to go to Israel.”
She also claimed that she was “met with the very same pressure” after shifting her stance on Israel.
Many outlets showed bias in coverage, such as AL.com, which ran a headline with subjective qualifying adjectives (emphasis ours): “Far-right influencer slammed for spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories on Charlie Kirk’s death.” Axios’ headline said Owens’ claims “derail[ed] MAGA unity.” The Daily Beast and Mediaite focused their coverage on voices pushing back on Owens, showing some bias by viewpoint placement.
The New York Post’s coverage also showed bias by viewpoint placement, placing Ackman’s rebuttal of Owens’ claims prominently in its headline and at the top of its article, while The Grayzone showed viewpoint bias on the opposite side, placing Ackman’s quotes at the bottom of its article. The New York Post did not include Owens' claims that she faced pressure around her Israel views. The Grayzone shows anti-Israel bias in its piece, offering a list of conservative influencers and detailing ways they are tightly bound up in Zionist interests.
In addition to raising concerns over alleged pressure from Ackman, Owens criticized Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu, who commented on Kirk’s death on Fox News one day after his assassination, saying Kirk had been invited to Israel and “sadly that meeting will not take place.” On air, Netanyahu was holding a letter Kirk wrote him in early May. Owens has called on Netanyahu to publish the full letter Kirk sent, stating, “I’m saying you’re severely misrepresenting the contents, that in May Charlie was concerned about Israel and their influence on American politics and how they were pushing things that he felt were in conflict with his beliefs — free speech here in America.”
Owens also plays a clip of Kirk appearing on The Megyn Kelly Show, in which he says he was under pressure and his “moral character” was being questioned because he had allowed Tucker Carlson (Right) and comedian/commentator Dave Smith (Unrated), who are Israel critical, to speak at TPUSA events. Kirk said he felt people are “not allowed” to criticize the state of Israel.
Very few outlets have covered these claims, perhaps because they rest on anonymous sources, and those that have covered it show some bias. The New York Post, for instance, shows bias by information placement by centering and leading with Ackman's response and not offering details on Candace's claims until farther down in the article. It also attributes Owens’ source to "far-left" Grayzone writer Max Blumenthal, using a subjective qualifying adjective, which can be used to discredit claims. This particular claim also borders on misinformation — in the video Candace says Blumenthal asked Ackman for a quote about the claim, but she did not claim that Blumenthal is her primary source of the information.
In his statement, Netanyahu said on X: "Well, somebody has fabricated a monstrous big lie, that Israel had something to do with Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder. This is insane. It is false. It is outrageous,” he said, also claiming Kirk said in the letter to him that one of his "greatest joys as a Christian" was advocating for Israel.
Both Owens and The Grayzone are clear that their sources are unwilling to go on the record; it is sometimes useful or necessary to use anonymous sources because insider information is only available if the reporter agrees to keep their identity secret. It is responsible for journalists to make it clear when they are offering anonymous information on sensitive matters.
While Netanyahu claims Kirk was a friend to Israel, some past media coverage highlights accusations that Kirk was being insufficiently supportive or even antisemitic, with MSNBC (Left) writing in Oct. 2023, “Some conservatives are piling on right-wing commentator Charlie Kirk after his organization, Turning Point USA, found itself embroiled in accusations of antisemitism.” Media Matters (Left) also wrote a lengthy post that same month framing Kirk as a foe to Israel, writing, “Turning Point USA founder and right-wing radio host Charlie Kirk is responding to the Israel-Hamas war by singling out and attacking Jewish people.”
Influencers like Owens are now drivers of discourse and independent journalism, sometimes highlighting claims and stories the mainstream media may not pick up, are slower to pick up, or eventually cover with bias.
Notably, the Israel issue breaks the left-right binary. Some progressive left and populist right news sources and commentators are converging on their stance on Israel's influence on the US and US involvement with its war. The issue is splitting conservatives down the middle, with some taking a staunchly pro-Zionist stance, and others taking an Israel-critical stance. As a key issue that does not fit neatly into the left-right binary, it is a reminder of the importance of reading and listening broadly across the political spectrum and engaging in open and civil discourse around contentious ideas. When we ensconce ourselves in one bubble, we are likely to miss key perspectives that allow us to think critically and hopefully, lead us closer to the truth.
Julie Mastrine is the Director of Media Bias Ratings and Marketing at AllSides. She has a Lean Right bias.
This piece was reviewed by Emily Allen, News Editor and Bias Analyst (Lean Left bias).
.png.webp)
