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Statement regarding terror attack on Paris newspaper


The American Society of News Editors is shocked and saddened by the Jan. 7 terrorist attack at the offices of the French weekly Charlie Hebdo.

"Freedom of expression is a powerful tool for building and sustaining open societies and must be protected,'' said ASNE President Chris Peck. "ASNE joins with other journalists and writers to condemn the use of terror to try to silence the voices of those who have a different perspective on our world.''



The American Society of News Editors is shocked and saddened by the Jan. 7 terrorist attack at the offices of the French weekly Charlie Hebdo.

"Freedom of expression is a powerful tool for building and sustaining open societies and must be protected,'' said ASNE President Chris Peck. "ASNE joins with other journalists and writers to condemn the use of terror to try to silence the voices of those who have a different perspective on our world.''

"We trust that the perpetrators of this massacre will be brought to justice swiftly and before they have the opportunity to murder or injure others who have chosen to exercise their fundamental right of freedom of expression.
 
"We urge freedom-loving people around the U.S. and the world to stand with Charlie Hebdo and offer that publication all the support necessary for its employees, their families and others impacted by this tragedy to ensure that they carry on. Free expression must trump violence,” Peck said.

Because the right to freedom of expression is not limited to newspapers or other media but, instead, is enjoyed by and affects all individuals worldwide, ASNE specifically has chosen to endorse a statement drafted by the National Coalition Against Censorship, which is also endorsed by both media and non-media groups alike. ASNE appreciates these groups' emphatic support of press freedom and their condemnation of these “hideous and barbaric attacks, which represent a chilling and extreme assault on freedom of speech.”

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