Editorial: Respect for all

Newspaper editors across the world had to make a big decision yesterday, whether to publish the new front cover of  Charlie Hebdo  showing a caricature of the Prophet Mohammad or not. In the light of the terror attacks in Paris last week and the subsequent calls for press freedom to be respected, it was a big call.  But I noticed that Sky News announced that they would not be showing the Hebdo cover so I turned to social media to monitor the views of readers. They were split. Some quite rightly underlined the fact that it was a question of freedom of the media while others called for caution. My personal view is that press freedom is one of the cornerstones of democracy. Without a free press we are nothing. But all newspapers  have certain guidelines to protect their readers. I would never allow anyone on this newspaper to openly savage someone in print. I do not agree that it is right to overly offend anyone in the media. There are rules which are in place to protect the readership. Also, it is not just a question of the Prophet Mohammad, I would draw the line at poking fun on a big scale at any religious leader. It is a question of not wishing to offend or hurt someone´s feelings.  Press freedom is sacred but so is our democratic right of respect for all.  However, and turning to Charlie Hebdo I would use those great words of Voltaire who said:“I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” And that is basically my feelings in a nutshell. Respect for others and what they believe is paramount in a modern and civilised world.