Following the attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, i was concerned that the more looser cannons in the British press would publish the pictures that led directly to the deaths of 18 people including the magazines artists who drew them.
I am glad that so far the temptation to somehow prove that they have not be intimated or cowed by the religious fanatics has been resisted and a degree of responsibility has been shown because whatever we think of the right to publish whatever material we seem fit, it would be irresponsible to deliberately set out to publish material that has already led to so many deaths.
Some may not agree, i have heard calls for all media outlets to show the front page that caused the outrage but the Editors have to take into consideration the safety of their staff. If The Sun publishes and a lunatic turns up the following day and firebombs the Sun's offices and kills a dozen or so staff members or shoots up a shopping mall , would it have still been worth it?
At the time of the outrage, the British media refused to show the offending caricatures taking account of the possible effects if they published, so to show them now would stink of bravado and not showing them out of some value to protect free speech but to further antagonise and offend.
To slightly amend that tired out cliche that has received an airing ever since Thursday, it is a case of disapproving of what Charlie Hebdo published but defending its right to do so which is fine but as with anything, that comes with acknowledging the responsibility of any consequences your decisions brings and thankfully British editors have decided that no amount of bravado is responsible for another massacre if it occurred.
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