Politinių karikatūrų, kaip žodžio laisvės išraiškos, problematika demokratiškoje žiniasklaidoje ; Political caricatures as a topic of free speech in democratic media

Abstract

The latest local and international conflicts forced to look back to the democratic society's value – freedom of speech. Different conceptions become an axis of the conflict, so the role of media is very important in constructing and presenting it. That's why this work's goal is to research specific international event, Mohammed's cartoon controversy in Lithuanian media, and to define the reactions and opinions which reflect the freedom of speech problematic. At first, the research was concentrated on democratic media conception, freedom of speech and there fundamental changes in modern technology age. Further, looking for the connection between freedom of speech and political caricature genre, it is tried to reflect the controversial connection. At the same time, I try to present the Mohammed's cartoon controversy and reactions of it in foreign media. Last, this international event is analyzed in certain Lithuanian press and internet media, trying to characterize certain attributes from other countries and determine the dominated position in freedom of speech frame. The basic work's object is Mohammed's cartoon controversy in Lithuanian media. The investigation is made by using quantity and quality content analyzes. This type of this method gives the ability to look deeper in certain media tools and there affect to construction of international event, trying to stimulate international discus and compare data in international context. General research conclusions show that Mohammed's cartoon controversy was displayed as neutral, objective foreign news about actions and reactions in Muslim's world and West Europe media. It shows that Lithuanian media observed world's events, objectively reported about them the society, but she same didn't take part actively in the international discus. At the other hand, Lithuanian journalists, experts, public actors differently reacted to the Mohammed's cartoon controversy. Mostly from all media diverged daily "Respublika". It was proud to publish controversy cartoons and support Europe media. It is important to make a note that this event is quite similar to scandal of anti-semitic, homophobic caricatures, which was created by daily "Respublika" in 2004. It seemed that Mohammed's cartoon controversy led this daily to riposte and one more time to show that they were right and, for the others, to blame the daily for abusing freedom of speech. So the positions for and against freedom of speech dived in two similar parts, showing the obvious disagreement inside the Lithuanian country, between press and web, or more concrete between journalists of daily "Respublika" and another.