Vol. 105 Issue s 91
@thepittnews
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
MAKING THE CUT
Pittnews.com
The Pen is mightier Local satirists’ take on Charlie Hebdo Elizabeth Lepro For The Pitt News
Humor can often be the best avenue to truth, according to local satire writers and experts. Following Wednesday’s terror attack on the Paris-based satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, French and global citizens have responded to the tragic massacre by adopting the slogan “Je Suis Charlie,” or “I Am Charlie,” as a sign of public solidarity. In the aftermath, Pittsburgh’s own satirists have reflected on the value and potential consequences of poking fun in the name of justice. The Pittiful News, which exists as a “nice, crisp newspaper,” says Editor-in-Chief Steven Boyd, is threeyears-old and publishes satirical news articles similar to The Onion and Charlie Hebdo. Boyd has expressed remorse for the victims of the attack, saying, “the Charlie Hebdo shootings demonstrate the risk that comes along with picking battles through print speech.” Paris-born jihadists, now being identified as brothers, killed 12 employees in the office of Charlie Hebdo on Jan. 7 as a way of avenging the defilement of Islam, according to the Associated Press. The satirical weekly had previously featured Steven Kromka, a staff member at Pitt, works on building a struccartoons about Muslim extremists ture for a performance of “The Dog in the Manger” that will open and Islam. in February at Charity Randall Theatre. Nicole Gye | Staff Photographer
Cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo were well-known in France for printing edgy cartoons that humanized the prophet Muhammad, including changing the paper’s name in one issue to Charia Hebdo as a play on the Islamic Sharia law. The Pittiful News, Boyd said, is careful to be respectful of subjects in its satire. “When big-time production writers choose to attack terrorist groups, there is a massive risk,” Boyd said. “We have always amended our practices when issues arise in order to be respectful to the community.” Despite editors’ precautions, the genre will always offend someone, says Mark Kemp, an English academic adviser who has taught satire courses. “People don’t get the point sometimes. That’s irony,” Kemp said. The Pittiful News has touched on serious issues, such as religion on college campuses. With headlines like “Fox News to Offer Degree in Islamophobia,” the paper highlights, rather than perpetuates, the absurdities of racism — a mission well-handled with humor, Boyd said. “In my mind, satire intends to make society confront its values regardless of how sacred they are. In a way, satire is almost like science — everything must be questioned,” Boyd said.
What some W may find provocative, however, others may
find insulting. French officials had previously warned writers at Charlie Hebdo that their digs against Islam were provocative, the AP reported. In 2012, editors printed nude depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, prompting riot police to guard the office. Prime Minister Manuel Valls stated late last year that France was facing “an unprecedented threat” in the face of a rising number of Muslim extremists in France. Writers and cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo, nevertheless, amped up their Islam-related cartoons, and some writers received police protection because of threats. So, is it more the goal of presentday satire to make a stir rather than to question norms? “To be honest, to know that your writing has upset somebody can be very troubling,” Boyd said. “It runs so counter to the mission you have established to give someone something they’ll enjoy.” Regardless of the ethics of controversial satire, the tragedy in France has opened global debate on free speech. American and French citizens have publicly demonstrated their support of satirical press and entertainment recently. Satire is “absolutely essential to any culture,” Kemp said.
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