Charlie Hebdo, Don’t wake the sleeping dog…

Reflecting on the death of  12 persons in Paris recently, the entire world has been paying tributes to the deceased  in  solidarity with the journalism profession. But to my surprise, a letter to the editor as view point in the last edition, Page 24 of Sunday Trust, by one Andrew Heslop, an Australian journalist, with […]

Reflecting on the death of  12 persons in Paris recently, the entire world has been paying tributes to the deceased  in  solidarity with the journalism profession. But to my surprise, a letter to the editor as view point in the last edition, Page 24 of Sunday Trust, by one Andrew Heslop, an Australian journalist, with a title: “Tribute to Charlie, by World Association of Newspapers.”  In the write-up, he started  by putting down a very good statistics and analysis of the danger in the journalism profession.  But in the analysis he ignored a simple question: why the recent attack on Charlie journalist? Why Charlie Hebdo? Why Paris? Why?  I believe you have not forgotten to ask yourself this simple question. I believe individuals in Europe, America or Africa know its answer, because it is open.
What happens to a newspaper which produces a story or mockery images/cartoon of Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan, Kim Kardashian, or Ronaldinho? Everyone looks at all those personalities as famous.  In the case of Charlie Hebdo, the journalists crossed the limits by publishing the rubbish the Prophet. In return it cost them their lives. It is the journalists’ indiscretion that he led to the deaths and I hope other journalists would learn to be more careful.
Abdulwahab Bawa from Abuja. [email protected]