By Natasha Tynes
Wednesday’s
massacre of the journalists working for the French satirical
magazine Charlie Hebdo has shocked the world with its brutality, and
reignited the debate about free expression.
A
total of 12 people were killed when armed gunmen stormed the magazine's
offices, and allegedly called their targets by name. Among those killed were
leading cartoonists including Stéphane Charbonnier, Jean Cabut and Bernard
Verlhac.
World’s cartoonists rallied behind the victims, using the
hashtag #jesuischarlie (I
am Charlie), and drawing their own sketches which mourned their fallen
colleagues.
The
fatal attack also ignited the debate about security for cartoonists and
satirists and how to deal with threats. IJNet spoke with a number of
cartoonists to ask them their thoughts on security. Among those
interviewed by the IJNet team were Rob Rogers, a cartoonist for the Pittsburgh
Post-Gazette; Carlos
Latuff, a freelance Arab-Brazilian cartoonist; and Nate Beeler, an
editorial cartoonist for The Columbus Dispatch.
IJNet:
Do you think satirists and cartoonists receive the same protection as other
journalists? Is their protection taken seriously by their media organizations?
Carlos
Latuff:
No, because journalists usually take their jobs more seriously when dealing
with such threats. Cartoonists play with criticism in a satirical way, and
maybe because [of] that they downplay the seriousness of the issue. But
after this tragedy, some cartoonists will need bulletproof vests, and even
bodyguards!
Nate
Beeler: There
has been a disturbing trend over the past decade of papers laying off their
cartoonists and then rehiring them on a freelance basis. Not only does this
result in a loss in benefits and crippling decrease in pay,
but it also deprives the cartoonist of security measures, since he or
she would then be working from home.
The freelanced cartoons still bear
their signature and elicit the same responses as when they were paid
staffers. For crazy would-be murderers, the only substantial difference is the
cartoonist isn't guarded by the paper anymore.
IJNet: Have
you ever been threatened as a result of your work? If yes, how did you deal
with it?
Rob
Rogers:
Yes, I have been threatened. I think every editorial cartoonist worth his
or her salt has angered somebody enough at some point to warrant a negative
response. Threats aimed at me came in the form of emails, letters and
phone calls. I have never feared for my life.
Carlos
Latuff:
Yes, dealing with Palestine and police brutality in Brazil, I got some threats.
I just let it go. There's nothing [much] I can do. I could stop making cartoons
and disappear, but then the cartoonist himself would disappear with me. If you
are dealing with sensitive issues, you are assuming the risks.
IJNet:
How can we prevent another tragedy like what happened yesterday? Any lessons
learned from this tragedy?
Rob
Rogers: I
think the best way to prevent another tragedy like this is to continue to
champion free speech and satire. In other words, we need to draw more cartoons.
It is important to show these brutal terrorists that they will not prevent the
cartooning community from sharing their art.
Some have suggested that the
Charlie Hebdo cartoonists invited the attacks because of their offensive
cartoons. That is wrong. That is the same as blaming a rape victim by saying
she invited the assault because of the way she was dressed.
Main
image CC-licensed on Flickr via Keno Photography. Secondary image ©2015 Rob
Rogers/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Reprinted with permission.
Source: http://ijnet.org
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