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Tag: Freedom of the Press

  • Charlie Hebdo: Shy Press “Insulting The Citizenship”

    Charlie Hebdo‘s editor in chief, Gérard Biard, went on Sunday’s Meet the Press to discuss the effect that the terrorist attacks on their office in Paris earlier this month have had on media.

    In addition to that, many wanted to compare Charlie Hebdo‘s strength in the aftermath to the seeming weakness of many other media outlets.

    After the attack, much of the press declined to show a photo of the cartoon that sparked the bloodshed at the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo.

    In Gerard Biard’s opinion, “When they refuse to publish this cartoon … they blur out democracy, secularism, freedom of religion, and they insult the citizenship.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpDS30a8uo8

    Some may agree with Biard’s opinion that when religion shouldn’t become a political discussion, but many side with the Pope who said no one should insult anyone else’s faith.

    The Pope said recently of the Charlie Hebdo situation, “one cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people’s faith, one cannot make fun of faith. There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity … in freedom of expression there are limits.”

    He added, “If my good friend Dr Gasparri says a curse word against my mother, he can expect a punch. It’s normal. It’s normal. You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others.”

    Then there are those who believe in the right to free speech, plain and simple.

    For example, in defense of Charlie Hebdo, Polly Toynbee from The Guardian had this to say, and she makes a pretty good point, “Charlie Hebdo’s cover will no doubt offend some Muslims – and possibly provoke some. That’s the role of a satirical magazine: to stick two fingers up to propriety. It is a belch in the face of established taste and dignity.”

    She conitnued, “You can buy it or not, find it funny or not. Its previous circulation was small, but knowing anything can be said keeps the outer edges of free expression healthy.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3edRHxq7vw

    What do you think about Charlie Hebdo and their stance on the freedom of speech?

    Do you side more with the Pope or the people of Charlie Hebdo?

  • Google Celebrates World Press Freedom Day

    Google Celebrates World Press Freedom Day

    Google announced today that it would be sponsoring a United Nations celebration of World Press Freedom Day. The United Nations designates May 3 as World Press Freedom Day, a day which is, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) website, to “evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence, and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.”

    William Echikson, Google’s head of free expression for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, outlined Google’s part in the event in a blog post on Google’s European Public Policy Blog. A ceremony will be held on May 3rd in Tunisia, hosted by Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki. Marzouki will present the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize to an individual, organization, or institution who has “made an outstanding contribution to the defence of press freedom.” In addition, Google will organize a Google+ Hangout from the Tunisian Presidential Palace with the Tunisian President.

    Tomorrow’s events will be followed by a two-day conference where journalists and organizations from across the world will gather to discuss the changing journalistic landscape. From Echikson’s blog post:

    We’re involved here as well. Maha Abouelenein, our head of communications in MENA, will participate in a session about new media in the afternoon of May 4. Khaled Koubaa, our government affairs manager for North Africa, will appear on the same day on a panel titled “Innovation in Gathering and Sharing News. Finally, I will speak on May 5 about freedom of expression.

    It’s interesting and obviously symbolic for UNESCO to hold World Press Freedom Day celebrations in Tunisia, having been just over a year since new media such as Twitter and Facebook played a role in the Tunisian Revolution. It is not surprising that Google is on board, as they have a large outreach to that part of the world, and just recently launched a Tunisian Google site. I do wonder, though, if anyone will mention the radical, free expression of journalism that Anonymous practiced last month.

    Have any opinions about World Press Freedom Day? Leave a comment below and let us know.