Responding to Charlie Hebdo
Jenn Burleson Mackay, Michael Horning · Journalism Practice · 2016
This paper utilizes survey methodology to explore the ethical perspectives of political cartoonists following the Charlie Hebdo shootings. Ethics positions theory is considered. Participants tended to be either situationists, absolutists, or exceptionists. Political ideology was associated with relativism scores. Findings showed that most of the participants (74 percent) reported that they drew a cartoon in response to the shootings. Participants expressed feelings of anger and sadness following the shootings. They reported that they drew cartoons illustrating free speech, cartoonists, pencils and pens, or violence following the shootings.