Bob Lonsberry: Why Can't We See the Cartoons?

SHOW US THE CARTOONS

Why can’t we see the cartoons?

The ones that have the Muslims burning down embassies and killing people.

Why can’t we see them?

What theory of the First Amendment is it that has kept the American news media from showing us the cartoons?

They talk about them. They condemn them. They say they’re really bad.

But they won’t show them to us.

Not the TV. Not the newspapers. Not any of them.

We’ve seen pictures of people having their heads cut off. We’ve seen dead Americans dragged through the streets. We’ve seen burned Americans hanged from a bridge. We’ve seen the American flag burned time and time again.

They even show terrorists’ videotape of American GIs being killed by roadside explosives.

But no cartoons.

It kind of makes you wonder about the “public’s right to know” and “all the news that’s fit to print.”

They report American military secrets. They give away information that weakens our national defense. They showed pictures of Abu Ghraib like they were going out of style.

But no cartoons.

And no explanation.

It makes you wonder if they’re being courteous or cowardly. If they’re afraid of offending Muslim sensitivities or of incurring Muslim wrath.

It makes you wonder what else they arbitrarily decide not to show us or tell us. It makes you wonder where they left their vaunted journalistic ethics.

Here’s the background.

In September, some guy in Denmark published some editorial cartoons featuring images of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Danish Muslims were minimally and briefly bothered by it. They had a small, peaceful protest march and that was that.

Then some imam sent the cartoons, and a couple others he added, and sent them to rabble rousers in the Arab Middle East. Then the governments of Iran and Syria got involved and the crap hit the fan.

Embassies burned, people were killed, a whole lot of upset and violence ran across Indonesia, the Middle East and all those “-stan” countries.

Because these religion-of-peace people didn’t like the cartoons.

And that’s been a big story for a week or so. Every night on the network news very somber idiots have told us all about it. Well, not all about it. They’ve omitted the “casus belli.” They talk about the cartoons, but they won’t show them to us.

Which seems to be a fundamental failure.

And it seems to put the various newspapers of Europe on much better terms with not just the freedom of the press but the courage of the press.

Initially, publishing the cartoons – five months ago in Denmark – was arguably the wrong thing to do. It offended Islam to make a point easily made in another way. Publishing them first was a questionable call.

But publishing them now is not.

Now it’s not commentary, it’s news. These cartoons are the root of an international incident which is costing people their lives every day. Relations across the world are shaken by these cartoons.

And it only makes sense that people – American people – be allowed to see those cartoons, if only to be better able to judge the propriety – or impropriety – of the worldwide Muslim response. Basic news judgment indicates that we ought to be able to see what all the fuss is about.

But nothing.

They have been published all over Europe. They have been published in much of Africa. They have been published in parts of Asia. They have been reproduced in the Middle East.

But they’ve been shown virtually nowhere in America. With our 24-hour news channels, with our three major network newscasts, with our “USA Today” and “New York Times.”

And nothing.

Oh, a few years ago they showed us pictures of a crucifix in urine. They show us singers dressed up like Jesus. They show us cartoons that make fun of the pope.

But nothing about Mohammed.

Which raises the question: Is there a double standard at play here, which puts Muslim sensibilities above the responsibility of the free press? Do the networks care more about Muslims than they do viewers?

Is this political correctness, another kissing of the Muslim backside?

Or is this outright cowardice? Are the American news organizations just spineless? Do they fear being targeted by Muslim protests or Muslim terrorism?

Are their principles so cheap that they can be sold over some silly editorial cartoons?

It seems so.

And that’s a shame.

If they were truly news organizations, they’d give us the news.

And right now, the news is those cartoons.

So why can’t we see them?