Bari Weiss defended her choice for CBS to feature Erika Kirk and the late Charlie Kirk during 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 insisted there were many areas where she disagreed with Kirk, but having those conversations was important because America is “walking into an abyss as a country.”
“I just fundamentally disagree with the idea that we shouldn’t be able to talk across divisions,” Weiss said. “That’s not to say that there aren’t boundaries. The question, of course, is whether or not Charlie Kirk crossed those boundaries and, in my opinion, you hear me quote many of the controversial things that he has said. Needless to say, there are many things that Charlie Kirk has said in his life that I vehemently disagree with, but, to me, that’s not the issue. The fact is that we are walking into an abyss in 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 very essence of our democracy, its premise, as we enter our 250th anniversary, is that we solve our problems through persuasion. We solve our problems by talking to each other. We don’t solve our problems by shooting each other in the neck as happened that day at that university in Utah and so, to me, even more so as we live in a world where you can live next to someone and if you have different things on your social media, “you can live in a different reality, and so, the point of this conversation, even if it makes some people uncomfortable, even if they don’t agree with something that they heard on stage, I don’t agree with some that I heard on stage. The goal is 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 goal is to reignite the fact that at some point, this country needs it. “
The town hall with Erika Kirk is scheduled for Saturday, December 13. The special “A Town Hall with Erika Kirk” will air on CBS at 8 p.m. ET. The town hall will address “the faith, grief, perseverance and memory of her husband, Charlie Kirk.”
Charlie Kirk was murdered on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University. Following his death, his wife Erika took over as Turning Point USA’s successor and currently serves as president and CEO of the conservative youth organization.
The Dec. 13 telecast will be the first time Weiss appears on CBS News since becoming its editor-in-chief. “A Town Hall With Erika Kirk” will next air on Paramount+ and CBS News 24/7.
