Charlie Hebdo violated norms of journalism

Freedom of Press with responsibility is the basic norms of journalism the world over. Irresponsible journalism at times could be disastrous for a society. Therefore, journalism has to be in public interest. Secondly, it is also an acceptable norm that journalists or the media should not do anything that could create hatred in the name of religion, faith or sect in the society.
The Paris-based weekly Charlie Hebdo violated the basic principles of freedom of expression. By republishing the blasphemous material, it has not only hurt the sentiments of over two billion Muslims, but also the peace loving people around the world.
This biased and dangerous trend must be checked and the world at large needs to play its role. The question is what should be our response and how we should react?Today’s world needs fight against poverty and dangerous diseases to save billions of people, but Charlie Hebdo is negating this very concept and trying to make a tolerant society like France intolerant. It is trying to divert the world attention by spreading extremism.
An estimated 1.5 million people in the “Million March,” condemned the killing of 12 people, but they did not endorse what the magazine did to hurt the sentiments of Muslims. Even otherwise, the presence of the Israeli prime minister had made the march controversial as those responsible for the massacre of Palestinians have no right to be there.
Pakistan has a strong and independent media. The struggle of journalists in this part of the world for the freedom of press, freedom of expression, for democracy and against dictatorship is unmatched. Over 100 Pakistani journalists had been killed in the last 12 years. The Pakistani media has always condemned attacks on the freedom of press, protested against the killing of journalists the world over and always joined the international journalist community whenever there is violence against journalists.
But what Charlie Hebdo is doing is not journalism. Its reaction to the killing of 12 people, including its editor, is not even editorially correct. Its management has once again put the lives of the magazine in danger. It is not only creating split in the French society, but also the journalist community world over has not endorsed its decision to republish the controversial material.
The Pakistani media can take this issue to the international forum. Charlie Hebdo conduct does not fall in the category of freedom of the press.On the political front, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could raise this issue at the World Economic Forum. On the security front, Army Chief General Raheel Sharif should send a message to the British leadership that such acts only spread further extremism.
Parliament can also adopt a resolution, asking the French government to take measures to play its role in defusing the tension by asking the magazine to respect the sentiments of Muslims world.
The Pakistan government has condemned the attack on the magazine but it should also condemn the republication of blasphemous material, which will certainly not help the fight against extremism.
On the media front, the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists, All Pakistan Newspapers Society, Pakistan Broadcasters Association and the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors should draft a joint resolution, expressing concern against the weekly for promoting hatred in the society and the Muslim World in particular.
It is the dilemma of the Muslim World that it could not developed a strong media that could compete this competitive world of information. Pakistan is perhaps the only country in the Islamic world, which has such a vibrant and vocal media. You hardly find a free and independent media in the Arab world. Unlike the Pakistani media, they toe the line of Muslim rulers and you hardly find critical news and views against their own governments or rulers.
However, the post-Iraq war saw the rise of some broadcast media in the Arab world like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabia. But the Muslim world did not learn lesson in this era of information that suppressing news and not competing with the media world could be more harmful for the society.
We often get frustrated with the Western media but except for Pakistan, the Muslim world hardly finds a strong media to counter the propaganda. During the fall of Saddam Hussain regime, we saw how his image was portrayed in the world. One of BBC’s documentaries exposed the so-called “imbedded journalism” during the Iraq war. An imbedded American journalist was sent home for just asking a critical question to the US military establishment. One of the leading American newspapers published an apology saying, “they were used,” when the issue of Weapon of Mass destruction was exposed.
Thus, the Muslim World needs a strong, free, professional, independent and responsible media to counter media like Charlie Hebdo.It appears the purpose of the management of the magazine is only to gain commercial benefit in Paris and elsewhere in France by publishing two hundred per cent more copies of the weekly and to further aggravate an already tense situation. It has once again endangered the lives of those working in the magazine, many of whom may not even agree with this policy.
The Muslim-based organization in Paris “Islamic State Group,” has rightly condemned this decision of republishing the magazine and described the decision of Charlie Hebdo as “extremely stupid.” This is disservice to the French society. Those who attacked and killed 12 people, including the editor and the blasphemous cartoonist of the weekly, were the two French Muslims, born in France and grown up in that society.
All the leading newspapers around the world and even the broadcasting world have questioned “Charlie Hebdo,” rationale of publishing the material, which only spread hatred against such kind of “freedom of expression,” which in fact is the violation of basic norms of journalism. Freedom has to come with responsibility and high quality of professionalism, which the magazine had violated.
So, it’s time for the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Boarders and the Committee to Protect Journalists to discuss this most important aspect of journalism and freedom of the Press.The writer is senior analyst, columnist of Geo, The News and Jang.