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Utah Valley University condemned for choosing Charlie Kirk critic as commencement speaker: ‘Slap to the face’

Nypost · · 339 words · By Fox News
Political Ideology Campus Free Speech
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/13/us-news/utah-valley-university-condemned-for-choos…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Name Calling / Labeling 95% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

6 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
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“Utah Valley University is facing backlash over its choice of commencement speaker as critics object to her past comments about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk following his assassination on the same campus.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources and Wikipedia confirm UVU faced backlash for selecting a commencement speaker criticized for past comments about Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated on campus. The assassination date and location are corroborated by Wikipedia.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was assassinated at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, while speaking at an outdoor campus debate planned by Turning …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Charlie_Kirk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles James Kirk (October 14, 1993 – September 10, 2025) was an American right-wing political activist, entrepreneur, and media personality. He co‑founded the conservative student organization Turn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Kirk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "We Are Charlie Kirk" is a presumably AI-generated song credited to Spalexma that was released on September 16, 2025. It is a commemoration of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, who was assass…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Are_Charlie_Kirk
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The university chose author and educator Sharon McMahon to address the graduating class.”
CORROBORATED
Three web search results independently confirm Sharon McMahon was selected as UVU's commencement speaker, with one source explicitly stating her role as keynote speaker.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Brigham Young University (BYU) is a private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Edu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; August 2, 1984) is an American politician and author serving as the 50th vice president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he repres…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JD_Vance
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Theodore Robert Bundy (né Cowell; November 24, 1946 – January 24, 1989) was an American serial killer who kidnapped, raped and murdered dozens of young women and girls between 1974 and 1978. His modus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Bundy
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“Days after Kirk was killed, McMahon wrote on X, 'Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done.'”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
A web search result directly quotes Sharon McMahon's X post about Charlie Kirk's impact, matching the claim's wording. No contradictory evidence found.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Blacklist is an American crime drama television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former government agent turned high-profile criminal,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Blacklist_characte…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Under the second presidency of Donald Trump, the federal government of the United States has sought to influence many aspects of education. President Donald Trump appointed Linda McMahon, a co-founder…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_policy_of_the_second…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lennon or McCartney is a 2014 Canadian documentary short film directed by Matt Schichter. The film is a compilation of 550 celebrities' responses, taken from interviews throughout the decade, to the q…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennon_or_McCartney
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“To many Americans, especially if you are Black, LGBTQ or Muslim, Charlie Kirk was not a person who simply engaged in good-faith debates on college campuses.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search or Wikipedia to support the claim about McMahon's statements implying Kirk's views on campus.
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“Campus attitudes were divided on campus, with conservative students generally upset while some liberal students chose to 'celebrate.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search or Wikipedia to confirm divided campus attitudes or specific student reactions.
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“Former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz also joined the program and labeled McMahon a 'horrific choice' of speaker just months after Kirk’s death, calling her a 'liberal hack.'”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence found in web search or Wikipedia to confirm Jason Chaffetz's comments about McMahon post-Kirk's death.
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.