Spotlight: Respect serves part of boundary for free press

Preceded by days of passionate outcry "Je suis Charlie" following the bloody attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, more sober minds have started to reflect on the crucial elements that should not be forgotten in upholding press freedom and they agreed respect is high on the list.

Laurent Brihay, executive director of the Press Club in Brussels, noted that blasphemy is viewed differently in different countries. "So what makes Europeans laugh is not always the case for people living in other parts of the world, especially the parts that have a tradition not to jeer religious leaders or politicians," he said.

While writing their stories, journalists should always think of the reactions they may cause, and the message they want to send, he said.

Brihay also mentioned remarks by Pope Francis, made by the religious leader before attending a mass gathering for victims of the Paris attacks. "We can not provoke, we can not insult the faith of others, we can not deride that," the pontiff said then.

"The Pope was right to say that we do not cause harm," Brihay added.

Francoise Tihon, a Belgian journalist with 30 years of experience working for major international media, echoed Brihay viewpoints.

The veteran reporter said that the bottom line of free press is that "we should not be disrespectful despite that we have the right to poke fun at almost everything here in Europe."

"Freedom of press is a very powerful weapon, so it must be used responsibly," said Vladimir Kasyutin, editor-in-chief of Russian Journalists Union's Journalism and Media Market magazine.

"I believe the tone in which the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo spoke about religious matters was unacceptable, because this topic is sacred and highly sensitive for so many people," Kasyutin told Xinhua.

Citing an old proverb in the country, "A word can kill, a word can salvage," Kasyutin warned again that every journalist and editor should remember that they are in possession of a very powerful weapon.

He also lamented that nowadays a considerable proportion of journalists do not follow the ethical norms for the sake of bigger circulation and influence.

George Nyabuga, a professor of journalism with the University of Nairobi, while condemning the brutal murder of cartoonists in the Charlie Hebdo onslaught, said press freedom has its limitations "given that we have different cultural norms and religious beliefs that should be respected when publishing stories or images."

"It is universally acknowledged that freedom without responsibility leads to anarchy. Every media house should exercise restraint. When you satirize a religious icon, the worst can be expected," said Nyabuga.

In an article published on the website of Huffington Post, Erik Bleich, professor of political science with the Middlebury College, said there is a reason that the majority of U.S. media outlets did not reprint the most offensive Charlie Hebdo cartoons.

Taking the New York Times for example, it decided not to reprint these cartoons not because the newspaper "feared a lawsuit, but because they weighed the value of showing the images against the social cost of insulting a segment of their readers," Bleich wrote.

"It is worth reminding ourselves that restraints on unbridled free speech already exist, and that they can serve a useful purpose," the article said.

In concluding the article, Bleich noted that freedom of speech is vital, but it is not the only value we have. "We can defend Charlie Hebdo's right to offend, understand the social reasons why the New York Times did not publish their cartoons, and support legal restrictions on far right attempts to incite hatred and violence. This is a more complicated stance than insisting on free speech at all costs. But it is also a better one." Endi