Recently, Utah Valley University published a 158-page independent after-action report regarding the tragic assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, which took place in September 2025. The report found that the university staff did not act with bad intentions.
Glenn Beck, while not shocked by the report’s findings, expressed surprise at the reactions to it.
“Once it was released, everyone had jumped to conclusions within an hour. … The family’s attorney laid blame on the university. Parts of the left pointed fingers at Turning Point. Podcast hosts remarked, ‘The silence is telling.’” Beck noted.
These rapid, one-sided responses, he argues, signal a shift from an era of information to one dominated by outrage, clouding the truth.
“During the information age, we had facts. Now, we’re in an age of opinion and outrage,” Beck stated. “Opinions proliferate easily, yet facts become scarce.”
He explained that the perceived “silence” from Turning Point and Kirk’s security, which some podcasters view as a sign of a cover-up, is easily understood: “The family has initiated a lawsuit, and legal actions often keep people quiet.”
“Everyone is involved in legal proceedings, and they all have lawyers. It’s not silence; it’s just a pause. But in this current climate, that pause gets filled with speculation,” he added.
Beck also highlighted that this reactionary trend isn’t new, referencing the sinking of the Titanic as an example of how ordinary oversights can spiral into conspiracy theories.
Before the Titanic set sail, an officer was removed, inadvertently taking with him the key to the bin containing the lookouts’ binoculars. This forced them to rely on their naked eyesight. Additionally, radio operators dismissed ice warnings to focus on sending passenger messages, and while the ship had enough lifeboats according to old regulations, they weren’t adequate for all passengers.
Instead of recognizing these series of misfortunes leading to disaster, many people opted to view it as a conspiracy, he remarked.
Even though the “components” of these conspiracy theories might have legitimate roots, “the connections drawn between them lack coherence.”
That’s his take on the chatter surrounding UVU’s report. While he understands the intrigue around conspiracy theories—because they imply deliberate action behind events—he acknowledges they’re seldom true.
“The truth is tougher to confront. Sometimes, events just happen because ordinary people are doing their jobs, creating small gaps. And that’s how tragedy strikes, like with Charlie Kirk,” he reflected.
