A Washington Post columnist was fired following social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s killing

In the minutes, hours and days following the shooting death of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last week, reaction across social media was wide and plentiful.

Most condemned the shooting. Many who spoke out against using violence against those with whom we disagree politically also noted some of Kirk’s stances over the years. And, yes, some who criticized Kirk either celebrated his death or, at least, did not seem bothered by it. Although, to be fair, that latter group was in the minority.

Still, there have been examples of people losing their jobs over comments about Kirk. The Associated Press’ Cathy Bussewitz and Wyatte Grantham-Philips wrote, “Several conservative activists have sought to identify social media users whose posts about Kirk they viewed as offensive or celebratory, targeting everyone from journalists to teachers. Right-wing influencer Laura Loomer said she would try to ruin the professional aspirations of anyone who celebrated Kirk’s death.”

Among those dismissed were journalists, though the two most prominent cases involved people who did not celebrate Kirk’s death and, in fact, strongly condemned it.