The Charlie Hebdo attack in France is provoking discussions in Columbia about journalistic responsibilities and the need for freedom of expression.
The Missouri School of Journalism hosted a symposium Tuesday night to discuss the terrorist attack against Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical magazine, in which 11 people were killed and another 11 were injured. The magazine has published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, which witnesses says the shooters referenced during the attack.
Aidan White, director of the Ethical Journalism Network, said those journalists’ responsibilities and their right to freedom of expression is complex and not nuanced.
"Free expression, free speech is more complicated than we think. It's not simple. Charlie Hebdo has actually invited people to take positions, strong positions, on one side or on another side. It's actually much more complicated than that," White said.
Khalil Bendib, a panel speaker at the symposium and an award winning cartoonist out of Berkeley CA, said freedom of expression does not exist practically speaking.
Bendib said it's part of a journalist's job to navigate complicated ethical situations.
"You always have other considerations balancing that freedom, social responsibility, consequences and real world," Bendib said.
Marty Steffens, the Society of American Business Writers Endowed Chair, said it is hard to place a set standard on what should be deemed acceptable or unacceptable in the media because every society has their own set of standards.
"Political correctness is born out of offense… you know the past offense and whether that offense was in that community or in a wider area is really kind of focused on that," Steffens said.
Bendib said journalist ought to make ethical judgments on if what their publishing is reasonable or hurtful.