The New York Times editorial of October 2, 1999, defends the display of Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ and Chris Ofili’s The Holy Virgin Mary:

A museum is obliged to challenge the public as well as to placate it, or else the museum becomes a chamber of attractive ghosts, an institution completely disconnected from art in our time.

The New York Times editorial of September 12, 2012, condemns the display of The Innocence of Muslims:

Whoever made the film did true damage to the interests of the United States and its core principle of respecting all faiths.

Whatever happened to “challenging the public”? Or is that obligation rendered non-obligatory when a certain public responds to challenges by killing people?