The Attack
Not sure how to explain the events surrounding the terror
attack? The Associated Press has two interactive sites that will help you. Terror
Attack on French Paper takes a look at the events surrounding the attack
including who the attackers were, who was targeted, who was killed, and a list
of other recent deadly terrorist attacks. Global al-Qaida Operations
examines the perpetrators of the attack, an al-Qaida branch in Yemen, as well
as three other active al-Qaida branches. Another good resource is The Telegraph’s Charlie
Hebdo Paris attacks: A timeline of events which gives a video account of
the attack and the days that follow.
Reaction from Around
the World
You can use front pages of newspapers from around the world
to show students how the world reacted to the terrorist attack. Find a copy of
your local paper’s January 8th edition. How did they report on the
attack? Was it front page news or was the article found inside the paper?
Compare your local paper’s coverage with the coverage from a larger newspaper
like The New York Times or USA Today or to the coverage of an
international newspaper like The Guardian
or The Telegraph. You can find older
editions of newspapers online or at your local library. Even if your students
cannot read French, it is worth examining the front
page reactions from French papers gathered by CBS News.
Days after the attack, 1.5 million people attended a unity
rally in Paris. Let your students view images
from the rally posted by CNN and read
or watch The Telegraph’s unity
rally coverage. After learning about the unity rally, ask students to
create 5 tweets of 150 characters or less about the event or have them write an
editorial about the absence of high-level American government official.
In their first published issue after the attack, Charlie
Hebdo maintained their right to publish images of the Prophet Muhammad by placing
his image on the front page. Reaction to this move was varied. View the Newseum’s
collection of newspapers’ front pages from around the world as they covered
the news of Charlie Hebdo’s first edition after the attack. Some newspapers
boldly reprinted Charlie Hebdo’s front page while others did not. Have your
students discuss why they think some papers chose not to reprint the image. Students
can read The Guardian’s explanation for their decision not to
republish Charlie Hebdo’s caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Then, direct
students to The Telegraph’s video
and BBC’s article
about the world’s reaction to Charlie Hebdo’s cover.
What is Freedom of
Press?
Many of us live in nations where freedom of the press is a
legal right. We almost take it for granted. Our journalists do not live in fear
of arrest, torture, or death because of something they published. But, around
the world, many journalists do live in fear. Have your students explore the
Freedom House map and identify what areas of the world have
freedom of the press, partial freedom of the press, and no freedom of the
press. Here’s a blank
world map you can print if you’d like your students to create their own
freedom of press map.
According to Freedom
House, only 14% of the world’s people live in a nation that has freedom of the
press. 14% - that’s a very surprising percentage! For a more in depth look,
read Reporters without Borders’ World Press Freedom Index 2014
(a pdf download). Next, have your
students take Aljazeera’s interactive
quiz about freedom of the press around the world and then discuss the
following questions:
Why is freedom of press a sign of a democratic government?
Why is freedom of the press important?
Is freedom of the press worth dying for?
Are journalists who die because of what they wrote heroes?
Then, let your students watch the Newseum video about the Journalists Memorial and the preview for the film Killing the Messenger: the deadly cost of delivering the news. To wrap up, complete the Newseum’s Case Study on Controversial Cartoons.
Why is freedom of press a sign of a democratic government?
Why is freedom of the press important?
Is freedom of the press worth dying for?
Are journalists who die because of what they wrote heroes?
Then, let your students watch the Newseum video about the Journalists Memorial and the preview for the film Killing the Messenger: the deadly cost of delivering the news. To wrap up, complete the Newseum’s Case Study on Controversial Cartoons.
Freedom of the press is an essential right in our democracy.
These attacks highlight that it is not to be taken for granted. The pen is a
powerful, and to some, a threatening, tool, but a free press ultimately
strengthens our democracy. Take some time in your classroom this week to help
students understand the importance of a free press by incorporating one or more
of these Internet resources and lesson ideas.
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