Prude journalism

In one of my classes the other day, we debated the ethical connotations of publishing a re-print of the controversial Danish cartoons portraying the Islamic prophet as a terrorist. The question was not so much one of whether these cartoons should have run in the first place but, instead, whether or not they should be reproduced as accompanying images to news and opinion stories following up the controversy.

Surprisingly, I was one of the few people to say I would publish them in this context. And today The Badger Herald did just that.

Brad Vogel, a member of our editorial board and cornerstone of the opinion page, drew a cartoon highlighting the whole controversy. And in the cartoon was, of course, a reproduction (hand-drawn) of the offending image.

Mr. Vogel's cartoon is worth a look. It is an excellent illustration of this whole fiasco and one truly worthy of the old “thousand words” cliché:


As for the larger question, I continue to be of the belief that news coverage must be neither timid nor slanted. For the major news outlets to refuse to show the controversial cartoons – a mistake they continue to make – is for them to subtly condemn the Danish press for publishing these images in the first place. Moreover, such is an act of wanton paternalism, classically typical of a hyperbolically liberal, anti-libertarian press. This is roughly tantamount to proclaiming that those who work in newsrooms may view these troubling images, as media employees are grown-ups and mature enough to handle radical pictures, but the public at large – the media's clientèle – is either too juvenile or volatile or appreciate the same images. It is protectionism in its most hideous of shades and should offend all of those who consume print and broadcast journalism.

I am not interested in opining on the original Danish cartoons. I can see how they have been deemed ultra-offensive, and I can also see how some may perceive the views they express to be applicable to a certain minority of the populace. It is ironic that the reaction to these drawings has almost been an affirmation of their legitimacy.

But I am interested in the ensuing controversy. And as a journalist, I simply cannot understand how it is that so many of my peers are unwilling to share incredibly news-worthy images with their readers and viewers.