THE killing of 12 people – including eight journalists – at the office of a satirical magazine in Paris is a terrifying act in revenge for the publication of a cartoon.

And, in the wake of such an atrocity, it is easy to insist that freedom of expression must never be shackled by the fear of extremists with grenades and Kalashnikovs.

It was a message which echoed around the world just before Christmas when Sony initially cancelled the release of The Interview, a comedy film, in fear of retribution because it included a plot to kill North Korea's leader.

But for all of that public defiance, the reality is that terrorism does change the way we think and act. We are in denial if we think otherwise.

There are journalists across the world who will today be thinking more carefully about what they write, what they tweet, what they print - because the threat is real and it is frightening.

Is it an act of cowardice to hold back, or an understandable human response, and an appreciation that others could be endangered by a decision to publish?

The truth is that we would all draw the line in a different place when it comes to censorship, because it is not a black or white issue. It is certainly not a crime to be sensitive to the views of others and there is value in being made to think more deeply about what might be completely acceptable to some, yet deeply offensive to others.

But, ultimately, the right to express a view – through films, theatre, photographs, cartoons, books, newspaper articles or whatever else – has to be worth standing up for.

Without it, the tiny minority – for, remember, that is what they are – will undermine the freedom and democracy cherished by the vast majority.

  • The cartoon above is by The Northern Echo's cartoonist, Cluff, and is published in tomorrow's Northern Echo.