The hours immediately following the shooting death of political commentator Charlie Kirk was marked by a flood of toxic comments on social media.
Keith Allred runs the University of Arizona backed non-profit National Institute for Civil Discourse in Washington D.C. He notes the actual number of people expressing the most extreme rhetoric represents only dozens or maybe hundreds of online users.
“But that’s really a small number compared to all of us who completely abhor this, whether our views are left, right, or center," he said.
Allred says the impact of social media makes what looks like a general decline in civility seem worse than it really is.
Listen to the complete interview with Keith Allred, recorded Wednesday September 10, 2025.
Kirk shooting spotlights state of civil discourse in U.S.
