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A week after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Utah is wrestling with a critical question: How do we stop political violence before it starts?

Communications professor Ben Lyons argues the answer lies in correcting our misperceptions about political opponents.

“Our misperceptions can become self-fulfilling. When partisans believe the other side is willing to undermine democracy, they become more willing to do so themselves,” he writes, pointing to Utah Governor Spencer Cox’s “Disagree Better” initiative as a proven model for reducing support for violence.

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