Now they subpoena him, now they dont. The curious case of the New York Times reporter, the c. I. A. And the hollywood system. Hood hackers the story behind the story of a comedy and mer dockian logic not going down well on twitter. Charlie hebdo produced another edition of its magazine, the staff saying it distributed 5 million copies, a print run 80 times higher than normal. The official estimate of the size of that unity rally in paris upwards of one million. Those numbers are indicative of how powerfully many are in the value of freedom of speech, and the affront at the murder of the journalists and police trying to protect them. Grieve is a powerful emotion, one many try to exploit. It was a grade a photo opportunity. Some of the president s, prime ministers and ambassadors who stood shoulder to shoulder in paris symbolizing freedom turned their backs. Twitter was alike with turkish, egyptians and others calling out their governments for hypocrisy. There were news media, broadcast and cartoons making sense of a dominant theme that Civil Society must confront an enemy within, complicated by the fact no one seems to know who the enemy is. The starting point once gain this week is paris. In a story about images, and the way the images are perceived. This speaks volumes. Political leaders on a paurize street seen paris street seen defending freedom of expression. Among them turkey a leading country of gaoling journalists. Where freedom of expression are quaint notions there are photo opportunities. The march was important for people to come to terms with what was doing on. Many of the leaders were criticized over the past few years for not being defenders of freedom of speech. Theres no motivation other than political expedienceies, im not surprised. The politicians have careers and agendas, they want to get on board. The westerners used terrorism. Not just freedom of peach, but other freedoms well. In a security agenda. However, senegals president may have outdone his peers. Having outdone that he quickly banned not just Charlie Hebdo, but liberation a french newspaper whose title requires no translating. When Charlie Hebdo published its survival episode. Newsagencies had a dilemma to show or not show. Not showing it is crazy, that in the u. K. You cant show that. At sky news we decided not to show. As Charlie Hebdo seemed notorious, showing the muslim charlie. I take issue with the cover depiction. It continues to propagate racist depiction of arabs. Prophet muhammad is only Prophet Muhammad to muslims. To anyone else hes an arab man history. To present an arab man with a hook nose, where is that less offensive than if it was a depiction of a jewish man with a hooked known. Its outrageous, it wouldnt be sl brated, but condemned. Its like saying they cant help themselves, like saying we understand not all muslims agree with what the people did. At the same time well rub your face in it, because we can. It almost feels like because we can, we must. Its sat. It feels like we are waltzing into a dynamic where theres no middle ground. Characterising the paize shooting as the french 9 11 as some have, it is inevitable as disproportionate. There are echos of 2001 and 2002 in the rhetoric on the airway. Doses of misinformation. Its not just no go zones in britain, there are cities like muslim, where they are totally muslim, nonmuslim goes in. This man is called a terrorism expert. Prime minister David Cameron called him a complete idiot. Another american journalist more widely travelled and better informed went on c. N. N. To say the false expertise syndrome is by no means limited to fox news. C number of n and fox are c. N. N. And fox are ipp gaging in terrorism, before you a fraulds on engaging in morism who are frauds and dont have the scholarly background or experience justified for being on your network or another al jazeera is another that lets coverage turn into a debate including within. An email from a producer as leaked revealing a variety of opinions and approaches to the story. Media watch soap. The leakage of the al jazeera emails, is within one organization there are various views or opinion over what constitutes freedom and expression, where the line should be drawn. And the fact that it generated so much coverage shows the media. In a way it should be seen as a healthy sign. Its important that they take place. Its hypocritical as well for a media that has been defending freedom of speech. They are dissenting. That gets to the heart of the big picture. Its beyond the circulation figures. Or that cynical leaders are reduced to a caricature by showing up. There are bigger issues attached to the story, not getting the coverage they deserve. The real threat to freedom of speech in europe comes less from four terrorist, but reaction on the government. It looks to curve free speech in the name of an exceptionalism justified through terrorism. Lie. The fact is there is a debate to be had about when to publish offensive material, and when its not right. Its not an issue, its a simplest thing to say. The next is hard, when is it right to exercise the right to freedom of speech. We cant have a debate about the proper limits of freedom of speech without being disloyal to freedom of speech. We are heading to dangerous waters if you cant do that. If you cant debate freedom of it. On the down low our viewers and what they make of the coverage of ongoing developments in paris. Retweeting Charlie Hebdo come ecks fails to address the issues in france. Satire has been used as a tool to criticize those in a position of power. Showing an image of a religious environment. A lot will be and have been insulted by Charlie Hebdos content. And so what . Theres no reason why islam cant be mocked as much as any other religion. If Charlie Hebdo was antiislamic magazine to be a different story. A simple picture shows you how they attack faith for all of their views. In my opinion it was to modernize the world. Tuesday. From Race Relations to foreign policies, terrorism and the economy. If this Congress Wants to help, work with me. Ali velshi kicks off our special state of the Union Coverage at 7 00. Well take an indepth look at our nations financial future. Then John Seigenthaler breaks down the issues. We need to know whats going on in our backyard. Plus, objective analysis and live reports from across the nation and reaction from around the world. The state of the union address. Special coverage begins tuesday, 7 00 eastern. Right here on al Jazeera America. Al Jazeera America presents the best documentaries i felt like i was just nothing for this young girl times were hard doris had a racist, impoverished setting had a major impact but with looks charm. I just wanted to take care of my momma. And no remorse. She giggles everytime she steps into the revolving door of justice she became legendary. The finer the store, the bigger the challenge al Jazeera America presents the life and crimes of doris payne start with one issue education. Gun control. The gap between rich and poor. Job creation. Climate change. Tax policy. The economy. Iran. Healthcare. Ad guests on all sides of the debate. This is a right we should all have. Its just the way it is. Theres something seriously wrong. Theres been acrimony. The conservative ideal. Its an urgent need. And a host willing to ask the tough questions how do you explain it to yourself . And youll get. The inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5 eastern only on al Jazeera America on the radar, a bizarre clgs to a complicated case. U. S. Prosecutors who tried and failed to get a New York Times reporter to reveal his sources in a c. I. A. Whistle blowing case are trying to force him not to testify. Its james ricen, and the accused is jeffrey stirling, charged with revealing a secret programme in relation to faulty plans for a nuclear bomb. Officers issued risen with spoken subpanas. Risen refused this past week to give up his source. Prosecutors gave up filing. When stirlings defense team who wanted him to testify, those trying to force him to answer questions asked him to be on the witness stand. This affects everywhere . A saudi blogger serving a 10year prison sentence endured a public flogging, the first of many. A video emerged showing him being lashed in a public square. He got 50 lashes, and 950 were coming. On a website, the saudi arabia liberal network has been taken offline. When it was active, it ridiculed the countrys restrictions including a prorestriction against valentines day, which is banned in saudi arabia. His lawyer was sentenced to 15 years for insulting the judiciary, undermining the government and officials. Sara said of the twine cases we reported on the hong kong magnate having his home searched by the authorities, his home and an office has been firebombed. Security cameras show a masked man pulling into the driveway this past week, a molotov cocktail no one was hurt. The vehicle was found on fire with licence plates removed. Jimmys office in another part of the city was targeted. No one claimed responsibility for either attack. Last month he stepped down of the chairman of next media, publishing a magazine, outments known of critical reporting of the chinese government. Jimmy li was front and center at the prodemocracy protest. He told press that violence and intimidation seemed to be the ongoing currency for those opposed to democracy and free press. Justice secretary condemned the attacks saying regardless of who the target is hong kong as a city with rule of law does not tolerate this its taken longer than we would have liked to get to the next story, because other news gets in the way. Its worth examining because of what it says about intelligence and the way journalists report them. The story of the interview, north korea, and the hacking of sony pictures, making news and gossip around the world. By now you probably know the plot has a couple of american journalists recruited by the c. I. A. Is kill north koreas Supreme Leader kim jong un. Days before it was to premiere sony pulled it fearing inch style attacks on theatres that showed it. The threat came from a group of hackers that caused havoc with an attack on sony pictures, and leaked confidential information. Washington was quick to blame the hacked on north korea. Many in the news media could not wait to do the same. The New York Times and the Washington Post were among the outlets that quoted anonymous intelligence officials, despite denials from north korea, and a chorus of cyber experts beyond dubious. Pyongyangs response that releasing it would amount to an act of law was considered overreaction. When looked at, and the hack job, you may reconsider. Nick muirhead on how a screw ball comedy turned into a serious story, failing to get the coverage that it deserved. Movie reel tell me you know its a stupid idea. Reporter forget for a moment movie. Set aside the cyber theft angle that sony had communications stolen by unknown. And park the freedom of expression argument. It could be a distraction. The real story is intelligence, and the western media. The feds determine who is to it. Reporter regardless of whether its the far east or the middle east. The media immediately accepted the narrative, fbi narrative that north korea was responsible for the hainging. We have seen the script before. We have seen the United States government present an intelligent profile of a country and then expect the world to fall into lock step with that account. In 2003 then secretary of state colin powell presented what he claimed was an airtight case that iraq had weapons of mass council. I believe the conclusion is irreparable and updeniable. The same thing happened in vietnam, where the n. S. A. Essentially told the military and the civilian leadership that the north vietnamese had attacked United States when, in fact, they had not. We believe two of the attacking boats were sunk. Its important for the media to be careful and scrutinise carefully. We can confirm that north korea engaged in the attack. Or we could end up in a situation like the past situations where we react too quickly and realise that we have an actor that involved. Pyongyang repeatedly denied it was behind the hack on sony, which in and of itself is not enough to throw off the most gullible journalists. There are numerous side experts picking apart evidence of north korea. If that is not cause for skepticism, take a look at the demands for the guardians of acts. The guardians of peace never mentioned the interview, and only the first instance in the film was to say that the interview had nothing to say why they hacked into sony. They tried to extort money from sony, and had nothing to say about north korea or the interview until more than a week later. Once a reporter asked questions as to whether it was connected to the interview, the hacker made demands that the studio pull the movie from theatres and not distribute online. The movie itself is a central theme. Who is to tell us that he cant create a movie with a plot line like this. Who is to tell us. That said, its important to keep in mind that as legitimate as the right to Free Expression is, you also have a responsibility to consider the implications of your speech. Rogue seth rogan claimed it was not to be controversial, the film. Read the hacked emails. It revealed, this is bruce bennetts, a Senior Defense analysts from the Rand Corporation. It was set up after world war ii, and the pentagon decided it needed a private organization to link military planning with research and development. Since, rand played a key role in formulating u. S. Policies. In an exchange with june, with c. E. O. Michael linton, bennett opposed the ending saying adding that the film will start thinking. In response bruce wrote . The Rand Corporation has close ties to u. S. Officials. And i think its the whole point of why there was interaction between u. S. Government and Rand Corporation and sony. And all parties review the movie as not nearly entertainment, but change. Bruce bennett has a major thesis, it has been that the way to make the north korean government collapse is to take out its leadership. In other words a plot line that is eerily similar to that in the interview. The emails are true that tells me that producers understood that the plot line was provocative. Would be provocative to north korea. And the regime. One thing mentioned it the fact that michael linton, c. E. O. Of sony is on the board of trustees of Rand Corporation. So you see this intimate relationship between sony and the military industrial complex. Coming back to the freedom of expression. It boils down to two different perspectives. Despite the threat of violence, goers. It was described by directorsar silly. They said it was their duty. In north korea, the state forecaster called the interview an act of terrorism. For the general population the leadership in north korea is daified, they are like a god. Imagine a film were Prophet Muhammad or jesus christ was a target for assassination, it offends many. That dis departments in north korea dizzy departments would not be helpful, would be destabilizing. Any time someone is threatened enough to not speak, its a freedom of expression issue. We call it the hecklers veto in the nates, something is not United States, something is not spoken because of its content, reaction. The biggest reaction to the interview would have come from film critics. They probably wouldnt have been kind. Movie reel who. Reporter but a combination, fraud reporting and misplaced patriotism turned it into a geopolitical football. A much watch for americans and an unlikely hit. If we can ask the hackers one question, it will be who is laughing now. As usual, they were unable for comment unavailable for comment more voices on the download op the interview was covered. North koreas position in the International Community allows a film like this to be made in the first place. That is partly because north korea doesnt have the international lobbying or the u. S. Domestic lobbying power to push back against Something Like this. Coverage is getting in the way of real news in north korea. Its a shame the interview is a story for a long time. It obscured a lot of news finally time to give Rupert Murdoch credit where credit is due. The media baron took to twitter saying until muslims recognise and destroy their growing jihadist cancer, they must be hold responsibly, he offended 1. 6 muslims in 125 characters, a record. Here is the thing about twitter. Rupert murdoch downown it. He dont control it. We end the show with a blowback compilation to the many responses to the politically pointed to the parody following Rupert Murdochs latest add ventures in twitter land. See you next time on listening post. Today on talk to al jazeera. Astronaut chris hadfield. Its the raw Human Experience thats at the core of anything that matters. It was a young boy from ontario that became the First Canadian to walk in space. Its hard relentless. The Selection Process to become an astronaut is nearly impossible. The research lab a politically complicated program coordinated between 15 countries, including the u. S. And russia