Headline Roundup • September 22nd, 2025
Are American Adversaries Using the Kirk Assassination to Sow Discord in the US?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The assassination of Charlie Kirk (Right bias) has sparked concern from media across the spectrum that American adversaries, such as Russia, Iran, or China, are using the moment to sow discord in US politics.
From The Left: Several outlets from the left, including Politico (Lean Left) and The New York Times (Lean Left), highlighted a report from NewsGuard that showed state media in Russia, Iran, and China mentioned Charlie Kirk 6,200 times from September 10 to 17. NewsGuard identified several instances of false narratives spread, such as Iran blaming Israel and Russia suggesting Kirk was on Ukraine’s Myrotvorets “kill list.”
From The Right: An opinion published by The New York Post (Right) noted Russian officials and commentators who linked Kirk’s assassination and the Democratic Party to Ukraine and warned President Trump and his supporters to be more vigilant. The authors also noted reported meddling from China and accused the two countries of aiming to “manipulate the raw anger, grief and loss that many Americans were feeling to incite further domestic conflict.” The authors added, “What’s most vile about these state-sponsored campaigns to translate Kirk’s death into societal breakdown and political violence is that they are directly at odds with his life’s work and worldview.”
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AFP via Getty Images
The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week unleashed a wave of false information about the shooter’s identity and motivation by U.S. adversaries, including Russia, China and Iran.
Mentions of Charlie Kirk appeared more than 6,000 times across official media in China, Russia and Iran between Sept. 10-17, according to misinformation tracker NewsGuard.
As Americans grappled with grief over the assassination of Charlie Kirk, malign foreign governments maneuvered to exploit the shock.
They fanned the flames of national division and polarization, weaponizing the pain of the free-speech champion’s killing for their own ends.
A public murder seen around the world is not a crime the Kremlin would overlook out of respect for Kirk, his family or the country that mourned him.
Leading Russian officials and the Kremlin’s state news outlet pounced on the opportunity to manipulate Americans’ heightened emotions.
