An extensive analysis of a sample of six newspapers reveals how the coverage of the cartoon crisis in France was tied to specific historical and contemporary issues such as laïcité. The discursive frameworks that are distinguished are similar to those that were shaped the public debates on conspicuous religious symbols in public spares. A network of the « experts » and « representatives » of various communities seem to have emerged in France. These actors spoke from distinct points of view and, as soon as the cartoon crisis was « brought home », it was possible for them to (re)create a field in which the public debate on the cartoons could take place.