INVESTIGADORES
PEDRAZZINI Ana Mercedes
artículos
Título:
Cartoons on trial: a case study integrating discursive, legal and empirical perspectives
Autor/es:
ANA PEDRAZZINI; TJEERD ROYAARDS
Revista:
HUMOR
Editorial:
De Gruyter Mouton
Referencias:
Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2022 vol. 3
ISSN:
0933-1719
Resumen:
This paper focuses on two controversial cartoons that elicited debatesaround the conflicts between freedom of expression and the right to satire on theone hand, and the protection of the reputation or rights of others on the other.Paying special attention to genre-related aspects, we adopt a comprehensiveapproach that combines a discourse analysis of the cartoons, the analysis of thelegal cases that followed their publication, and the assessment by 68 cartoonistsfrom 33 nationalities on the clarity and offensiveness of the selected cartoons. Thecartoons were published in Charlie Hebdo (France) and El Universo (Ecuador),respectively. Based on our analyses, we propose that the main triggers of discursivecontroversy are the target as well as the modal and rhetorical ways ofaddressing a theme. We also conclude that: (1) The plaintiff’s most relevant argumentsdeny the satirical status of these cartoons; (2) The high disparity in thecartoonists’ assessments of Charlie Hebdo’s cartoon can be associated with itsambiguity when addressing a sensitive issue; (3) Regardless of their positive ornegative assessment, cartoonists have a strong position in defense of the authors’and newspapers’ right to publish them; (4) No significant differences were found inthe assessment of the cartoons in relation to the geographical origin of the cartoonistswho took part in the questionnaire.