College of Communication

Mass Communication in English Graduate Program

COURSE TITLE: International Communication

COURSE CODE: 0800547

Reaction paper:

The 2015 Charlie Hebdo Killings, Media Event Chains, and Global Political Responses
Annabelle Sreberny from the University of SOAS University of London, UK is the author of the
article ‘Charlie Hebdo killings, Media Event Chains, and Global Political Responses (pg. 3485–
3502)[ CITATION ANN16 \l 1033 ]. This article attempts to explore how, in light of Donald
Trump's recent debatable statements about Islam and the numerous emotions that have arisen
from people all over the world, as well as the events in Paris, which rocked the world, more
comments are being made about the media, with people either supporting or against the situation.
Presumably quite possibly the most disputable occasions is one that additionally happened in
Paris in mid 2015, where a gathering of fanatics assaulted Charlie Hebdo's base camp because of
the offending exaggerations which have been distributed. The arguments are highly convincing
as Charlie Hebdo, which is a week after week French magazine which highlights exaggerations,
jokes, kid's shows, and reports conveyed in a mocking methodology, is generally renowned for
its strong methodology in handling strict and political convictions like showing strict figures in
an unconventional manner.

The modes and flows of global media coverage of the January 2015 Charlie Hebdo
assassinations compel a reexamination of long-held media studies nostrums. The lack of
coverage of such lethal attacks abroad shows that such contextual accounts are prioritized over
others, emphasizing the importance of honing ideas that are appropriate for the mediated
mechanisms at hand. Present concepts of integrative social media activities and a neutral global
public domain must be supplemented by even more fluid heuristics that deal with these assaults
from a cultural historical viewpoint and emphasize "thick" definition. Despite the fact that
conflicting narratives around slavery, Islamophobia, and free expression circulate instantly,
certain traumas are prioritized throughout media news. A environment of considerable brutality
and flux cannot be accurately reflected by rote replication of frozen principles[ CITATION
ANN16 \l 1033 ].

The ideas such as the right to speak freely, colonialism and Islamophobia of discourse has as of
late become an issue of worry after a few occasions have set off the world and opened
individuals' eyes towards the obligations which accompany that advantage. This has made the
article quite interesting. Charlie Hebdo has become one of the most well-known French
newspapers in the world as a result of the events depicted in the magazine. The essay looks at
how this recent publication communicates personifications that might be disrespectful to other
cultures. By examining responses to the magazine's distribution, the impact of solid messages on
the audience by personifications can be investigated (pg.3487). The investigation will
concentrate on a few topics discussed in class, including visual cultures of tension, the effect of
globalization on contemporary visual society, the impact of the media on individuals, and how
identity, orientalism, and race are addressed in the media. As a result, the report is timely and
references new studies.

The method of Charlie Hebdo has always been striking, as it chooses to discuss the negative
consequences of any religion, race, and place. Other exaggerations, for example, portrayed Jesus
Christ in odd ways that could clearly be viewed as obnoxious, in comparison to cartoons
portraying the Prophet. In either case, different societies' standards of recognition may differ, and
with respect to Islam, a specific limit has been reached (Faiola, 2015). Individuals exhibiting
fortitude in the face of the attacks have overlooked that the attacks were not caused by Islam as a
faith, but rather by extremists. As a result, people's views of religion differ, as many people have
portrayed Muslims as fear-based oppressors and expressed it outwardly on social media, by
sharing numerous pictures and recordings that displayed bogus implications about the religion as
a whole.

The article grabbed my attention ultimately because it’s very likely to address the problems
generated by the media somehow. I had always supported the monitoring of media. If the media
and magazines like Charlie Hebdo wouldn’t be monitored properly ,the global world will
collapse.

Annabelle Sreberny, according to above points of view answers to the question of "how the
media deals with us?" and it is widely assumed that the media today has a significant impact on
people's emotions and beliefs all over the world. The modern, more globalized society we live in
today is largely due to media, which has been supplemented by computerized upheaval and the
rise of the internet, allowing events such as the Charlie Hebdo attacks to become a topic of
discussion for people all over the world. It is the sense in which an occurrence happens, rather
than the event itself, that is global, according to Hepp and Couldry's definition: “Tv activities are
unique positioned, thickened, centering performances of mediated dialogue that are based on a
specific thematic heart, cross several media items, and reach a broad and varied multiplicity of
viewers and participants” (p. 12). Furthermore, the media's depiction of race and religion has
caused people all over the world to react differently and have different feelings. For example, the
concept of "Islamophobia" has gained a lot of traction around the world, implying that the world
is afraid of Islam (The Charlie Hebdo Shootings and Islamophobia, 2015).

Charlie Hebdo has prevailed in terms of depicting different aspects of visual culture as a
publication that has created a global uproar with its visual portrayals (Callamard, A, 2015). This
shows the influence of visual portrayals and visual cultures, as they can create a chain of
reactions that all contain visual portrayals, starting with Charlie Hebdo, progressing through wars
and social media, and ending with Charlie Hebdo. This article fails to elaborate the exact
significance to contribute in contemporary historical understanding.

The references used in this article were mostly from the New York press releases, the journals of
constellations and from certain internet sources. The article has also cited by Giglietto, F., & Lee,
Y. in 2017.

REFERENCES

• Faiola, A. (2015, January 8). Charlie Hebdo's Most Controversial Content Revolved

around Islam. The Washington Post. Retrieved December 16, 2015, from

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-37557667.html

• The charlie hebdo shootings and islamophobia. (2015, Feb 03). University

Wire Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1650489992?accountid=8555

• SREBERNY, A. (2016). The 2015 Charlie Hebdo Killings,Media Event Chains, and

Global Political Responses. International Journal of Communication .