Ted Cruz: Censoring Charlie Hebdo Cartoons 'Unfortunate'

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz joined others in criticizing news organizations such as The Associated Press and and many of the nation's major news publications and networks for censoring photos of the controversial Charlie Hebdo cartoons that may have led to terrorists slaughtering several of the French weekly's editors, staff, and cartoonists on Wednesday.

"The First Amendment is designed to ensure a robust debate and refusing to publish the cartoons that are the alleged reason for this brutal act of murder and terror is inconsistent with the spirit of free debate," Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told BuzzFeed, calling it "unfortunate" that media outlets are choosing to censor the satirical magazine's cartoons.

The French magazine did not only lampoon Islam but many others, including Catholics, Jews, French politicians and more. But Muslims took offense at the cartoons that depicted the prophet Muhammad, and before Wednesday's attack, Charlie Hebdo's office had been targeted with a firebombing in 2011.

Cruz Wednesday said the attack was "heartbreaking" and a "reminder of the global threat we face and the enormous peril presented by radical Islamic terrorists. It is unfortunate to see media outlets engaging in censorship."

In addition to The Associated Press, a long line of other news organizations have decided to not use the cartoons, including CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post news pages, the New York Daily News and The Telegraph in London.

There are yet more papers that are blurring the lines between what they will and will not cover. Some are using photos that blur out the cartoons, while others refuse to use them at all.

And in the case of The Washington Post, Executive Editor Martin Baron said Wednesday his paper itself does not publish material "that is pointedly, deliberately, or needlessly offensive to members of religious groups" and would not be printing the cartoons.

But the paper's op-ed pages, which are operated under separate management, chose to run a picture of one of the cartoons in its Thursday edition and lambasted other publications for not following suit, The Washington Free Beacon reports.

The Post's editorial board did not specifically name any other news outlets on Wednesday, but wrote “publishers in Western countries have disgraced themselves in recent years with self-censorship to avoid being targeted by Islamic militants...Such acts cannot be allowed to inspire more self-censorship — or restrict robust coverage and criticism of Islamic extremism."

Others, such as BuzzFeed and The Huffington Post, have decided to run the cartoons, with The Huffington Post titling its post “These Are The Charlie Hebdo Cartoons That Terrorists Thought Were Worth Killing Over.”

The Associated Press defended its decision as part of a long-standing policy, telling BuzzFeed that "it’s been our policy for years that we refrain from moving deliberately provocative images."

But critics pointed out The Associated Press continued to offer images of a photograph of “Piss Christ,” an art piece that Jesus submerged in urine and another of the Virgin Mary covered in elephant feces, both of which Christians have deemed offensive, the Free Beacon reports.

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