Following a firestorm of media criticism, News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch backtracked on controversial tweets he made following terrorist attacks in Paris, France that all Muslims should be held accountable for terrorism.

In January, terrorist attacks in France killed 17 people, including an attack on the satirical weekly newspaper, Charlie Hebdo. Rupert Murdoch responded to the attack by tweeting that “Maybe most Moslems peaceful, but until they recognize and destroy their growing jihadist cancer they must be held responsible.” The tweet was roundly criticized and condemned as “incredibly irresponsible.”

On January 14, Murdoch walked back his controversial comments on twitter writing that he “did not mean all Muslims responsible for Paris attack” but that the “Muslim community must debate and confront extremism”:

Certainly did not mean all Muslims responsible for Paris attack. But Muslim community must debate and confront extremism.

-- Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 14, 2015

Tens of thousands of jihadi victims are Muslims and millions fighting back. But important for people of all faiths to address the threat.

-- Rupert Murdoch (@rupertmurdoch) January 14, 2015

But Murdoch's response ignored Muslims who are speaking out against extremism. Following the Paris attacks, Muslim organizations as well as leaders of Arab states  denounced the attacks as “brutal and cowardly.” And as Media Matters' Karen Finney explained, Murdoch's rhetoric “alienates rather than engages Muslims who both regularly denounce and are often the victims of Islamic terrorism.”