To republish or not to republish: The “Je Suis Charlie” Mohammed cartoon and journalistic paradigms in a global context

This article dealt with how media outlets in a selected number of countries handled the problem of the republication of Charlie Hebdo's controversial “Je Suis Charlie” Mohammed cartoon cover after the terrorist attack of 7 January 2015 against the newspaper. A textual analysis of editorials and policy statements found that editorial decisions to republish or not to republish the Mohammed cartoon in different countries constituted journalistic paradigm work that reflected specific journalistic cultures. The dominant themes that emerged were (1) transnational journalistic solidarity as a form of paradigm work and (2) the use of editorial independence as a paradigm defense and repair mechanism. Furthermore, we found that the American media, which practice the journalistic craft under the First Amendment, were not as unanimous as the Continental European media in considering republication of the Je Suis Charlie Mohammed cartoon as a barometer of transnational journalistic solidarity and support for freedom of expression.