Will Charlie Hebdo Sell More Copies After Paris Tragedy?

In the wake of the devastating terrorist attacks yesterday that killed ten Charlie Hebdo staffers, including the editor, four well-known cartoonists, and two police officers (see 12 Killed at Magazine Previously Attacked for Satirical Cartoons), the French satirical publication has announced that a new issue will still go to print next week.

Columnist Patrick Pelloux told BBC that the decision to go forward with the issue will show that “stupidity will not win.”

Next week’s issue will only be eight pages, half the usual length, but will have a run of one million copies, compared to the average 60,000. The two companies involved in the distribution of the papers have agreed to publish next week’s issue free of charge.

According to the Guardian, Google has also pledged €250,000 to help support the publication, and a further €250,000 has been offered by French newspaper publishers.

Mark Rowson, chairman of the British Cartoonists’ Association called on fellow cartoonists to donate drawings to help ensure the publication will continue.

For more coverage of the Charlie Hebdo killing, “#JeSuisCharlie: A Digest of Responses to the Killings at Charlie Hebdo“, and “Why the Killing of Charlie Hebdo Cartoonists Will Make Art Stronger“.