The attacks last week at the French magazine Charlie Hebdo have raised questions about how religious and ethnic groups are represented by the media. The University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication is hosting a meeting Thursday to look at issues around free speech.
This is the first town hall meeting to be held at the School of Journalism. All U of O students are invited to the open discussion. Five panelists will bring different perspectives on recent events in Paris and how journalists can respond.
Professor Chris Chávez says the meeting is being held to untangle some of the issues the shootings have brought out.
Chávez: “Freedom of speech is something that we’re obliviously really concerned about at a journalism school, but also how ethnic and religious minorities have been treated typically through western media—that tricky line when free speech turns into hate speech.”
One week after the attacks, Charlie Hebdo released 5 million copies of its new issue. The magazine sold out within hours. The meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday at Allen Hall Room 222 on the U of O campus.