Freedom of speech is a crucial pillar of democracy. Freedom of the press is equally important.
Not anymore. Unfortunately, if I want to be heard by the media, the best way for me to achieve that is to torch and riot.
The recent Muhammad cartoons that appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten are offensive to Muslims. I get that. As a Christian, I would be vehemently opposed to any cartoon that would portray Jesus in a bad light. And those who have peacefully protested these cartoons deserve the utmost respect. But the rest of the world deserves a chance to see these cartoons and come to their own conclusions.
The world's media should be uniting to defend freedom of the press. Uniting to condemn the violent acts of a few who are determining what the many read. Uniting against suppression. Uniting for freedom.
Instead, they ushering in a new era of censorship by caving in to radicals. In the United States, four editors at the New York Press resigned after they were ordered to remove the cartoon from the weekly publication.
USA Today also chose not to print the offensive cartoons. "We concluded that we could cover the issue comprehensively without republishing the cartoon, something clearly offensive to many Muslims. It's not censorship, self or otherwise," said Jim Michaels, deputy world editor. Really? Because the definition of censoring is "to examine in order to suppress or delete anything considered objectionable."
National Public Radio refused to even link to the cartoons.
The world media poltroons have also sought the safety of censorship.
In Denmark, the culture editor of the Jyllands-Posten newspaper who first commissioned the cartoons was sent on indefinite leave after suggesting he would print Iranian cartoons of the Holocaust.
Sweden recently shut down a far right web site with the printed cartoon.
French President Jacques Chirac condemned French newspapers that printed the cartoon.
In Malaysia, the Sarawak Tribune was shut down indefinitely by the government for showing images banned by the government. A hollow message now greets viewers on the official newspaper site.
In Indonesia, the editor of the publication Peta was arrested on blasphemy charges.
What does all of this mean?
Dark days are ahead for journalism.
The European Union is considering "a code of conduct" that would "self regulate" papers. This concoction of the fearful Western nations is nothing more than appeasement to the lawlessness that is plaguing the world.
Imagine the power this will give other radical groups. What if eco-terrorists oppose any stories on oil? What if disgruntled vegans oppose any advertisements for beef? And Lord only knows what could happen on either side of the debate about future stories on abortion.
The media, and governments for that matter, are punishing and preventing independent thinkers from truly examining controversial stories. Instead, those who slash and burn are rewarded for their violence. The world's media must unite and defend freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
Newspapers across the United States did print this editorial cartoon. And perhaps this cartoon is the most important.
Leave a comment