Al Qaeda punishes Washington Post, rewards N.Y. Times, AP on Charlie Hebdo cartoons

“An individual who has claimed to represent [al Qaeda] and who has previously provided statements and other information to The Washington Post said he would no longer do so because of the paper’s decision to publish the first post-attack cover of Charlie Hebdo, released this week,” the Post said.

In contrast, separate stories by the New York Times and the Associated Press indicate that those two news outlets remain in touch with an al Qaeda source. Unlike the Post, the AP and the Times have declined to republish the Charlie Hebdo cartoons that mock Muhammad, asserting that the cartoons are offensive to Muslims.