Je Suis Charlie: Press Freedom And A French Terror Attack

The terror strike on the French satirical magazine in Paris. We’ll be on the ground with the latest details and the big picture.

The news from Paris is so bad.  Horrifying.  Nauseating.  A dozen dead, mowed down at work in the middle of the day by casually efficient gunmen – terrorists – shouting “Allahu Akbar!” Journalists – editors, cartoonists - targeted and murdered, assassinated, for their work.  The huge crowds that have poured into the streets in France in defiance hold signs saying “not afraid.”  But there is much to fear here.  Violent fundamentalism and bloodbath.  Insecurity from Canada to Australia to France.  Blind intolerance in return.  This hour On Point:  the slaughter in France.  What it means.  Where it goes.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Angeline Benoit, reporter for Bloomberg News. (@angelinebenoit)

Christopher Dickey, foreign editor for The Daily Beast. Author of "Securing the City: Inside America's Best Counterterror Force — the NYPD," among many others. (@csdickey)

Laure Mandeville, American bureau chief for Le Figaro. (@lauremandeville)

Yascha Mounk, PhD candidate in Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Author of "Stranger in My Own Country: A Jewish Family in Modern Germany." (@yascha_mounk)

Bloomberg News: Paris on Terror Alert After 12 Killed in Attack on Satirical Magazine — "Two people dressed in black and carrying firearms, including AK-47 Kalashnikov rifles, entered the offices of the magazine on rue Nicolas Appert this morning, shooting at random. At least one shouted 'Allahu Akbar,' or 'God is great' in Arabic. The magazine’s most renowned cartoonists — Cabu, Charb, Tignous and Wolinski — were among the dead, the Paris prosecutor’s office said."

France 24: Charlie Hebdo, the weekly that lampoons sacred cows — "Charlie Hebdo is the scion of a revered tradition in French journalism that goes back to the eve of the 1789 Revolution, when satirical publications played a decisive role in undermining the prestige and dignity of the French monarchy. Despite its relatively small readership, it is well known as a leading representative of that brand of journalism – and without a doubt the most outspoken. The left-leaning magazine is known for its provocative and acerbic commentary on world affairs, routinely taking on the high and mighty, be they celebrities, presidents or popes. But its jabs at Islamic extremists have stirred the most controversy."

Washington Post: #JeSuisCharlie: Cartoonists react to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris — "At least 12 people have died in Paris after masked gunmen opened fire in the headquarters of Charlie Hebdo, a provocative satirical newspaper. Among the dead: Some of France’s best-known cartoonists. According to the AFP, they included editor in chief Stephane Charbonnier, a.k.a. “Charb,” and the cartoonists known as Cabu, Tignous and Wolinski. The reaction to their deaths was swift and intense from their peers. The French newspaper Le Monde posted a simple image expressing solidarity with the magazine. It reads: 'Our hearts are with Charlie Hebdo.'"