A Gallup poll shows 61 percent of U.S. respondents say the European publications that printed controversial Muslim cartoons acted irresponsibly.
The telephone poll of 1,000 people Thursday through Sunday found 29 percent said the newspapers and magazine had made a responsible decision in printing the cartoons that satirize the Prophet Mohammed. Ten percent had no opinion.
However, not only the publishers were blamed for the violence and controversy in the past two weeks, but Muslims themselves.
Asked to rank where the balance of blame lies, 61 percent of those asked cited Muslim intolerance, while 21 percent blamed the riots on Western nations' lack of respect.
Overall, 57 percent of respondents said the U.S. news media have an obligation to show controversial items that are newsworthy, even if they may offend the religious views of some people, while 33 percent disagreed.
The poll had a 3-point margin of error.
