French media perception of Muslim and Jewish polemics

OsabelleMvs Muslim Jewish POLEMICS France counts 9 Muslims 4 700 000 Muslims pour 1 Jew and 450 000 Jews POLEMICS Caricatures of the Prophet Siné article 2006 2008 Char lie-Hebdo, a satiric French magazine took the decision The cartoonist Siné, from Charlie-Hebdo published a to publish polemical caricatures of the Prophet Mahomet, paragraph about Jean Sarkozy, the son of the ex president originally issued by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. While the Muslim world condemned the publication, French Nicolas Sarkozy. He mentioned the future wedding of Jean Sarkazy to a Jewish heiress as well as his possible media were divided on the question: was the debate about conversion, associating the facts with a certain freedom of expressi on or Islamophobi a? ambitiousness. Media expressed different views: was the debate about freedom of expression or anti-Semitism? DID THE PRESS COVER BOTH POLEMICS EQUALLY? Infographic made after the analysis of 119 press ar ticles Total articles published Articles published by Le Monde (left), Le Figaro (right) and L'Express (center) 69 40 Le Monde Le Figaro Caricatures 19 50 I Siné L'Express Prevalence of coverage by polemic for each newspaper 40% 23% 10% L'EXPRESS Of all 3 newspapers Le Figaro published the largest number of artikles concerning the Siné L'Express provided quite similar levels of coverage of both storie Of the 3 newspapers, it appears to bave the more balanced coverage. Le Monde significanty covered the caricatures Caricatures Sine more extensi vely than the Siné polemic. polemk. If each story had benefitted from the same level of coverage as the other, by reference to Muslim and Jewish populations If the caricatures had been covered as much as the Siné article, 522 articles would have published instead of 69 69 522 If the Siné artide had been cove red as much as the caricat ures, 7 articles would have published instead of 50 50 In relation to the Jewish and Muslim populations, IMuslims The French population The caricatures have x10 the Siné artide has been +38% co unts 0.5% of Jews and Jews been covered 38% more covered 10 times more than 7.5% of Muslims than the Siné artice. the caricatures. DID NEWSPAPERS DEFEND EACH POLEMIC IN THE SAME WAY? Neutral and undefined articles have been removed to give a better over view of the sit ua tion For Publication of Articles sup porting the publication Publication of the caricatures of the Against Siné article Prophet Artides conde mn ing the publication e Monde.f 13 L'EXPRESS Global opinion of the 3 16% newspapers For 42% publication In both cases, the press did not publication overall considered the publikation of Against the caricatures and the Sine artide Against 58% offenshe. However opinkons are publication 84% publication enly split in the case of ant Semitism than klamophobia WHAT THE COURT SAID In both cases associations defending the religious side as well as anti racism claimed against Charlie-Hebdo Verdict Caricatures Verdict Siné 22th of March 2007 28th of January 2009 *In France, a laic and pluralist society, the respect of all "The Court considers that Siné authorized himself to mock beliefs goes with the freedom of criticism towards on a satirical mode the opportunism and ambitiousness of religions, which ever they are, as well as with the freedom a young man engaged on the politic and media scene and to represent objects of religious veneration. The blasphemy therefore does not refer to the anti-Semitic prejudice. The word "Jewish" does not refer specifically to a religious or which outrages the divinity or the religion is not repressed, and is considered differently from the insult, since the last For publication racial discrimination or to a rejection of the Jewish is defined as a per sonal attack directed against a person or community. The reading of his columns cannot be made a group of persons regarding to their religious affiliation. ignoring the magazine in which they have been published. The freedom of speech should prevail for ideas welcamed Char lie-Hebdo is a satirical publication and we are on the with favour as well as the decried ones. » ground of provocation."