Anchor Fights Back After Suspension For Charlie Kirk Tribute

Beni Rae Harmony was a trusted WICS NewsChannel 20 anchor in Springfield, Illinois, until one broadcast changed everything. Days after Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed at an Utah Valley University event, Harmony closed a newscast with an emotional tribute she called “non-partisan,” rooted in personal loss, not politics.

Station leadership suspended her for violating editorial policy, and Harmony says she was pressured to walk it back. Instead, she resigned publicly in a viral post, arguing she was being punished not for mocking a tragedy, but for honoring it, and framing her exit as a choice between career security and personal conviction.

In this conversation, Dr. Phil presses into the psychological and professional collision at the center of the story: when does “being human” on-air become “taking a side”? What happens to identity when your newsroom’s definition of neutrality conflicts with your lived relationships? And what does it cost emotionally, spiritually, and professionally, to bet everything on your voice? Harmony now reports from Washington, D.C., for Real America’s Voice.

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