Yes, they showed some of them, but not the realllly terrifying ones, and they’re sooooo sorry and they won’t ever ever ever do it again. Please don’t hurt them. “BBC defends cartoon coverage,” from The Guardian, with thanks to JE:
BBC News executives have apologised for any offence they caused by showing the controversial Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad – but said the corporation had stopped short of using “excessively offensive” images.
UK national newspapers decided not to publish the cartoons, which were originally printed in a Danish newspaper and sparked angry protests by Muslims in London, the Middle East and Asia over the weekend.
The corporation used video featuring European newspapers that have published the cartoons on its news bulletins, News 24 and the BBC News website.
“Obviously the BBC does not want to give offence to anyone on either side of this debate,” said Peter Horrocks, the BBC’s editor of TV News.
Debate? There is no debate. There is a struggle between exponents of a free society and organized thuggery. That’s all.
“So if people – whichever side of the argument they fall within – have taken offence, I am obviously concerned and I apologise for that….”
“But we’ve taken a decision not to go further than that in order not to gratuitously offend the significant number of Muslims in Britain but also – because we make decisions for our pieces to be broadcast internationally – the very significant numbers of Muslim viewers of BBC World television.”