Washington Publish editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes on Friday revealed that she was quitting the newspaper after it rejected a sketch depicting its billionaire proprietor, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, on bended knee for Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
“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 intention my pen at. Till now,” wrote the Pulitzer Prize winner on the platform Substack.
Telnaes — who started working on the Publish in 2008 — shared a tough draft of the cartoon, which additionally depicts Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Los Angeles Occasions proprietor Patrick Quickly-Shiong, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and the character Mickey Mouse — a stand-in for The Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC Information.
A few of them seem like holding up baggage of cash towards a big determine with an extended tie and small fingers whose face is out of body — the obvious illustration of Trump — whereas Mickey Mouse is seen bowing to him.
Telnaes wrote that the cartoon criticizes these “who’ve been doing their best to curry favor” with Trump.
“To be clear, there have been cases the place sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, however by no means due to the perspective inherent within the cartoon’s commentary,” Telnaes wrote. “That’s a recreation changer…and harmful for a free press.”
David Shipley, the Publish’s editorial web page editor, mentioned in a statement to The New York Times that he respects Telnaes and her contributions to the newspaper “however should disagree together with her interpretation of occasions.”
“Not each editorial judgment is a mirrored image of a malign power,” he mentioned. “My determination was guided by the truth that we had simply printed 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.”
The cartoonist’s announcement comes after the Publish confronted backlash over its determination to not endorse a candidate in final yr’s presidential election.
The paper’s editorial board had reportedly drafted an endorsement of the Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, before Bezos reviewed it and the endorsement was scrapped.
The Publish had commonly endorsed candidates for many years earlier than the transfer, which led to a drop in subscribers and a number of staff resignations.
However Bezos, in remarks final month, mentioned the paper had made the “proper determination.”
Telnaes, who lately reshared a 2019 visual essay during which she described editorial cartoonists as “democracy’s canary in a coal mine,” wrote that her job as an editorial cartoonist is to “maintain highly effective folks and establishments accountable.”
“For the primary time, my editor prevented me from doing that vital job,” she wrote.
“I doubt my determination will trigger a lot of a stir and that it is going to be dismissed as a result of I’m only a cartoonist,” she added, earlier than happening to reference a slogan utilized by the Publish. “However I cannot cease holding reality to energy via my cartooning, as a result of as they are saying, ‘Democracy dies in darkness’.”
