Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Charlie Hebdo's New Issue Flies Off Newsstands

At WSJ, "Satirical Weekly’s First Issue Since Attacks Features Caricature of Prophet Muhammad on Front Cover":
PARIS—French commuters rushed Wednesday morning to newsstands to buy copies of Charlie Hebdo, the first issue of the satirical magazine since eight of its staff members were killed by Islamist gunmen last week.

Even though it has become a cause célèbre, the weekly—known for mocking all forms of authority, including some that have rushed to its defense—stayed true to form by printing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad holding a “Je suis Charlie,” or “I am Charlie,” sign on its cover. Several cartoons inside the issue mocked Islamist fighters.

As early as 6.30 a.m., it was difficult to find copies of the magazine in the few newsstands already open, even though the weekly’s distributors had said they were ready to print as many as 3 million copies—50 times the normal circulation.

David Beghin, who runs one of the stands in Gare de Lyon in eastern Paris, said the 75 copies he received Wednesday—up from eight on a normal week—had vanished 20 minutes after he opened at 6 a.m. “People came to buy copies by the dozen,” he said...
PREVIOUSLY: "Here's Who Is and Isn't Publishing the New Charlie Hebdo Cover Image."

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