Image-conscious

The more Patrick Boyle read about the explosive violence erupting in the Middle East and Europe, ignited by Danish cartoons lampooning the Prophet Mohammed, the angrier he became.

The Emerson College sophomore, studying political communication and print journalism, said he was distressed, not only by the violence, but by the decision most American newspapers made to not run the cartoons, considered blasphemous by Muslims, at the center of the controversy.

''The more I researched, the angrier I got at what I considered the cowardice of larger newspapers," said Boyle.

The student writer for the school's Berkeley Beacon newspaper approached his editor, Cyra Master, after a staff meeting Feb. 9.

''I told her that I wrote a piece on the cartoon, and she finished my sentence for me: 'You want to run the cartoon,' she said. I wanted to run the cartoon."

Master said a great deal of thought went into the Beacon's decision to run a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb as a turban. Discussions among three student editors and a round of e-mails including the entire staff followed. An editorial explaining why the cartoon was being run was drafted.

The Beacon is the latest of several local student and alternative papers to print one or more of the controversial cartoons. On Thursday, Spare Change, a biweekly publication produced by the Homeless Empowerment Project, printed the same cartoon the Beacon had. On Feb. 8, Harvard University's conservative magazine, The Harvard Salient, published several of the Danish cartoons and also anti-Semitic cartoons that had run in newspapers in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Local reaction has been relatively muted.

In contrast, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, two editors at the Daily Illini were suspended from their positions for publishing the cartoons.

Acton H. Gorton, one of those suspended from the Daily Illini, said that although he doesn't regret printing the cartoons, hindsight is 20-20. ''We had wanted to start a dialogue," he said.

Chuck Prochaska, the other ousted editor, said newspapers shouldn't ''cop out" and leave controversial materials, like the cartoons, to the Internet. ''The whole issue was putting the cartoon out where our readers could see it," he said.

In Philadelphia, publication of the cartoons in the Philadelphia Inquirer Feb. 4 angered hundreds of people who held protests.

Harvard University officials said in a statement last week that the school did not endorse the views or opinions of the Salient, but it did ''support its right to publish those views and opinions."

At Emerson, students at the Berkeley Beacon said they have received three e-mails in reaction -- one in opposition and two in support. Spare Change editors said they have received only one e-mail, a message of support.

But reaction here hasn't been all positive.

At an interfaith community forum Thursday at Harvard where more than 60 students gathered, Muslim students expressed frustration and concern. Khalid Yasin, president of the Harvard Islamic Society, said Muslim students were deeply insulted at the Salient's decision.

''It has been a very hard week," said Yasin, a junior at Harvard. ''Muslims here are hurt and very offended that the Salient chose to run the cartoon -- because we believe this has nothing to do with free speech."

Salient student editor Travis Kavulla said he had received more than 100 e-mails in response to the cartoons. Most comments were positive, though three students have asked him to resign, he said.

''If feelings are hurt, then my response is that we need thicker skin," said Kavulla. ''This is a dialogue that needed to happen."

Salma Kazmi, assistant director of the Islamic Society of Boston, said that although some local Muslims are offended by the cartoon, she, too, hopes the issue will incite discussion.

''For too long, other people have said who we are, what we stand for, and what we believe. It is time for us to take over the process of telling our story," said Kazmi. ''Otherwise it makes a marginalized population feel more marginalized."

The fact that most larger US newspapers did not run the cartoons shows sensitivity to cultural and religious differences, she said.

''I equate it to many newspapers and television stations that use 'the N-word' because they know what a volatile thing it is to use that actual word," said Kazmi.

Other media analysts said they understand why some papers -- both mainstream media and smaller publications -- have chosen not to run the cartoon.

David Overton, acting chairman of Emerson's journalism department, said college papers have more freedom than mainstream papers to push the envelope.

''Students don't have to worry about advertisers pulling ads or corporate pressure," said Overton. ''They have the ability to step over the line, because, after all, that is how you learn."

Not all college papers are taking advantage of that.

William Marra, president of Harvard's daily, The Crimson, said his paper felt it could tell the story ''without having to publish material that many would find offensive."

Kyle Cheney, editor of Boston University's Daily Free Press, agreed, saying his paper opted to put a link to the cartoons on the paper's website.