SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – An Illinois television anchor resigned Monday after being suspended for airing what she called a “non-partisan tribute” to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk following his assassination.
“My resignation is guided by values that are essential to who I am, which I refuse to set aside in order to keep a job. I choose my faith and love of country, and always will,” Beni Rae Harmony wrote on X.
Harmony was an anchor for WICS Newschannel 20, an ABC affiliate in Springfield, Ill.
Harmony shared video of her on-air tribute to Kirk, telling viewers it was okay to feel sadness and grieve. She became emotional and noted that Kirk was her first boss. Her LinkedIn profile shows she worked at Turning Point USA from 2021 to 2022.
“There’s a lot going on in our world right now, and our country, but I want to say one thing. Lean on your neighbors, speak up for what you believe in, I don’t care what it is,” she said in the video.
“I want to share with you one of my favorite sayings that Charlie would always tell us at the office, he would yell it from the mountaintops, so please listen. ‘When conversations stop happening, when individuals become wordless, that’s when violence begins,’” Harmony added in her tribute.
It’s unclear if she ignored a directive by the station ahead of time not to give the tribute, or if the speech was a surprise.
Harmony said in her post to X, “Many in the mainstream media have been fired or punished for mocking his assassination. I believe I am the first to be targeted for honoring him on air.”
Fox News Digital reached out for comment to WICS, which is operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group. An individual at the station also told Fox they couldn’t comment on the story when reached by phone.
Kirk was assassinated last Wednesday while speaking at a campus event in Utah.
While his killing has sparked grief and outrage across the country, some of Kirk’s foes have criticized the tributes. There have also been numerous examples of figures online celebrating his death and facing firings or other reprimands as a result.
The legacy media has criticized the firings as a “cancel culture” campaign from the right targeting free speech.
Matthew Dowd, a former MSNBC political analyst, was fired from the network over remarks he made after Kirk was shot but before it was clear the conservative activist had died.
Dowd suggested the shooting was caused by a chain reaction from his “hateful words” against various groups. He later claimed he didn’t know yet that Kirk had been shot and criticized MSNBC for firing him.
Read more at FOXNews.com
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