CNN president Jeff Zucker told staffers Thursday that “the safety of our employees” is the reason the cable news network is not broadcasting the Charlie Hebdo Muhammad cartoons on the air or across any of the network’s other platforms. THR reports:
“Journalistically, every bone says we want to use and should use” the images, the CNN Worldwide president said during a staff meeting on Thursday, according to a story co-bylined by the network’s Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter.
Zucker added: “as managers, protecting and taking care of the safety of our employees around the world is more important right now.”
CNN at least deserves credit for admitting that there is a real danger from fanatical Muslim terrorists to any organization that publishes the Muhammad cartoons. Other news outlets, like the Associated Press, have dishonestly claimed that they don’t publish material that offends — unless of course it offends Christians.
Whether you agree with Zucker’s decision or not, at least be grateful that he’s telling the truth about his reasoning and not hiding behind dishonest rhetoric. Zucker’s not wrong, either. Extremist Muslims do murder innocents over cartoons, and way too many Muslims are just fine with that. Violence from Muslims is a very real concern, especially for a high-profile network like CNN.
Zucker knows this and said so out loud. I wish more would follow his lead.
John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC