The cartoonists in our midst

Europe poised for a crackdown on press?

Thursday, June 8, 2006

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists is convening this week in Denver. Alongside how-to sessions designed to help cartoonists make the transition from the printed page to cyberspace, separate panels will examine the conflicts that can arise when religious worshipers feel offended by portrayals of their faith in the press.

Not surprisingly, these discussions were fueled by the satiric depictions of Muhammad published in a Danish newspaper last year, and the uproar that arose after Islamic zealots fueled violent protests at Danish embassies.

Here in Denver, cartoonists and representatives of religious organizations will air their concerns and suspicions. The convention serves as a healthy affirmation of America's traditional commitment to free speech and robust public debate - which were not always on display, unfortunately, during the Danish cartoon controversy. Then, a surprising number of journalists justified not publishing the cartoons despite their obvious newsworthy nature.

Still, at least the government here didn't try to pressure journalists into self-censorship.

By contrast, consider the meeting two weeks ago in Vienna, when European Union officials summoned journalists and press executives to a conference titled: "Intercultural dialogue: the media's role. Towards respect and understanding of all religions and cultures."

The EU isn't interested in encouraging open exchange of opinion. No, the not-so-subtle purpose of the gathering was to browbeat the press into treating radical Islam with kid gloves and avoid a replay of the embassy riots.

The EU blamed equally the thugs who torched embassies and threatened public officials and the media outlets that published the cartoons. "Freedom of speech is central to Europe's values and traditions," said European Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner at the opening. "But its preservation depends on responsible behavior."

The "but" says it all. Ferrero-Waldner claims the media have a "particularly crucial role to play" in easing the passions of the Muslim faithful. If the press will not embrace "self-regulation" to decide "where the boundaries between gratuitous provocation and legitimate debate lie," well, then the bureaucrats may step in and impose their own rules.

Such threats of censorship are real. Ten European countries have made it a crime to promote Holocaust denial. And a number prosecute citizens - such as Brigitte Bardot and Oriana Fallaci - for stinging criticism of certain religious groups. The EU has also mulled a "media code of ethics" since the cartoons were published.

Such a code would demonstrate a basic misunderstanding of the role of the press in an open society. The media are not supposed to ignore extremists who endanger liberty, nor obscure their message with happy talk. The press should educate its readers by exposing hatred and denouncing it.

American cartoonists take that mission seriously. And however insensitive the result on occasion may be, we'll take it any day over the "responsible behavior" imagined by European bureaucrats.