Charlie Hebdo printing a million copies with help from Google
Charlie Hebdo will not stop skewering politics and religion alike despite the horrific January 7th attack that killed 12 people, including many of its staff and two policemen. Instead, the Paris-based journal will publish a million copies of its next edition on January 14th, compared to a normal printing run of around 50,000. It'll probably sell out, given a spontaneous display of unity and support for freedom of speech displayed by French protesters. To make the run possible, the government kicked in almost €1 million ($1.2 million), while French newspapers pledged €250,000 ($296,000). Google's Press Innovation Fund added another €250,000 and the Guardian Media Group contributed £100,000 ($150,000). The paper is also asking the public to subscribe at a reduced rate or make a donation.
The support will not only aid the large print run, but help keep the journal operating in the near-term. Charlie Hebdo never backed down from its uber-irreverent brand of satire that targeted politicians, celebrities and extremists of all stripes, despite numerous death threats and a 2011 fire-bombing. In an emotional interview on France 2 last night, Charlie journalist Patrick Pelloux -- who was late to the meeting where the slaughter took place -- said that "they killed pacifists and tolerant people. It's not just one journal that was attacked, but all publications everywhere."
[Image credits: Charlie Hebdo, Dan Kitwood via Getty Images]
