Washington Submit editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes stop the paper after it spiked a comic book about its proprietor, Jeff Bezos, bending the knee to President-elect Donald Trump.
The tough draft of the comedian featured Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Mickey Mouse, and different tech and media giants bowing and handing Trump baggage of money.
The Pulitzer Prize-winning artist wrote about her resignation in a submit on her Substack.
“I’ve labored for the Washington Submit since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist. I’ve had editorial suggestions and productive conversations—and a few variations—about cartoons I’ve submitted for publication, however in all that point I’ve by no means had a cartoon killed due to who or what I selected to goal my pen at. Till now,” Telnaes wrote.
She continued, “Whereas it isn’t unusual for editorial web page editors to object to visible metaphors inside a cartoon if it strikes that editor as unclear or isn’t accurately conveying the message supposed by the cartoonist, such editorial criticism was not the case concerning this cartoon. To be clear, there have been situations the place sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, however by no means due to the viewpoint inherent within the cartoon’s commentary. That’s a recreation changer…and harmful for a free press.”
Telnaes wrote that whereas some might argue that an organization has a proper to reject one thing that’s not good for its model, there’s a completely different normal for information organizations as a result of they’ve public obligations and “are obliged to nurture a free press in a democracy.”
“As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to carry highly effective folks and establishments accountable. For the primary time, my editor prevented me from doing that crucial job. So I’ve determined to go away the Submit. I doubt my choice will trigger a lot of a stir and that it is going to be dismissed as a result of I’m only a cartoonist. However I can’t cease holding reality to energy by means of my cartooning, as a result of as they are saying, ‘Democracy dies in darkness,’” Telnaes concluded.
David Shipley, The Submit’s opinions editor, instructed The New York Times that he “revered Ms. Telnaes and all she had given” to The Submit “however should disagree along with her interpretation of occasions.”
“Not each editorial judgment is a mirrored image of a malign power,” Shipley stated within the assertion. “My choice was guided by the truth that we had simply revealed a column on the identical matter because the cartoon and had already scheduled one other column — this one a satire — for publication. The one bias was in opposition to repetition.”
Shipley added that he had spoken to the artist and urged her to take the weekend to rethink her choice to resign.
Telnaes has not but responded to Shipley’s assertion.
