WaPo Editorial Cartoonist Quits
Editors killed a cartoon criticizing media and tech moguls for giving money to Trump.
Related to the subject matter of James Joyner’s post regarding donations to Trump, The Wrap reports: Washington Post Cartoonist Ann Telnaes Quits After Bezos-Owned Paper Kills Trump Satire Piece.
Washington Post editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes quit after a satirical cartoon, which poked fun at the paper’s owner Jeff Bezos and other media and tech giants bending the knee to President-elect Donald Trump, was killed.
The Pulitzer Prize winner shared her decision in a Substack post Friday.
“I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations—and some differences—about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now,” she said.
As noted in the quote, Telnaes provides a full explanation at her Substack.
She elaborates as follows:
While it isn’t uncommon for editorial page editors to object to visual metaphors within a cartoon if it strikes that editor as unclear or isn’t correctly conveying the message intended by the cartoonist, such editorial criticism was not the case regarding this cartoon. To be clear, there have been instances where sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, but never because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon’s commentary. That’s a game changer…and dangerous for a free press.
A rough draft of the cartoon can be found here (or via the Substack link above). (The site is giving me fits regarding images this morning).
I would recommend Telnaes’ visual essay from 2019, which she reposted last month: The canaries aren’t doing well.
Update: See also, from The Daily Cartoonist, CSotD: Telnaes is only unemployed, not gone.
Can’t see the image, unfortunately, but found it elsewhere.
I am not sorry to have canceled my WaPo subscription.
I think it’s proper to refer to Bezos, Musk et al. as oligarchs, not billionaires, given their poisoning of democracy.
@Kingdaddy:
Me neither. Bend the knee once, you’ll likely keep bending the knee. What is the point of being super rich if you still can’t stand tall? Or, to paraphrase some old rabbi, For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
@Kingdaddy: The site is not being cooperative with images this morning. I have substituted a link.
For Wales? Why Richard, it profit a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world. . . but for Wales!
We didn’t realize “Democracy dies in darkness” was the new business plan
The greatest political cartoonist since Herblock. She won’t be unemployed long.
@Michael Reynolds:
You don’t get that rich unless you’re obsessed with getting richer. Maybe someday we’ll get over the Calvinist idea that getting rich is a sign of virtue. In the case of Bezos, maybe hard work and intelligence. But standing tall over principle, not so much.
Like someone said, if you don’t have the stones to own a newspaper, don’t.
Is this the first time the Washington Post editorial columnist criticized Trump, or the first time she criticized Bezos? If Bezos, then the headline should read “Washington Post Cartoonist Ann Telnaes Quits After Bezos-Owned Paper Kills Bezos Satire Piece” and the complaint is Bezos is demanding people bend the knee to him, hardly a new complaint in newspaper publishing.
@a country lawyer: Dang, y’all did Mike Lukovich dirty lol
I’ll also be following her output, wherever she lands. As to Bezos and his minions, they are making fools of those who spent October scolding WaPo subscribers who canceled.
@Fortune: I agree, this is the crux of the matter. All oligarchs seem to have very fragile egos.
@DK: Yeah, Lukovitch was a great one. Also was Walt Kelly, a funny page cartoonist who snuck in some terrific political satire into his weekly funnies.
@a country lawyer:
Herblock was great. My favorite editorial cartoonist was Tony Auth, of the Philadephia Inquirer.
@Stormy Dragon:
@DK:
Scott Lemieux at LGM has the cartoon, Telnaes statement, which includes, “But I will not stop holding truth to power through my cartooning, because as they say, “Democracy dies in darkness”.”, and the Post’s opinions editor’s statement that it wasn’t cancelled for content, but because the Post had already done a column on the subject. Lemieux concludes,
I cancelled my subscription not because of the endorsement per se, but because it was already becoming obvious where the Quisling Post was going. There will be heroes in the next four years, Telnaes is already among them. Bezos and his minions will not be.
Many will continue to think The News Media isn’t conservative.
@Fortune:
Nice try narrowing the focus. But in the cartoon itself, the large figure with the tie is Trump. Telnaes wasn’t only criticizing her boss.
As of yet, the oligarchs can’t control the state without their rented politicians. Trump is inextricably part of her satire and she’s pointing her pen at the teamwork. The media moguls and tech bros get the state to give them want they want and all they have to do is give Trump the money and genuflection he wants.
@Scott F.: I understand what the cartoon was saying, but you tell me, do you think it got pulled because it criticized Trump or Bezos?
@Fortune:
I think it got pulled because Bezos didn’t like what it said about Jeff supplicating himself to Trump. She’s not criticizing Bezos in isolation, say over his running of Amazon or over how much he’s going to spend on his upcoming wedding. Rather she’s pointing out a really dangerous relationship. Therefore, I think the sub-head “Editors killed a cartoon criticizing media and tech moguls for giving money to Trump” gets it right, even if it doesn’t come right out and say that the WaPo editors were doing the bidding of the owner.
You’re right that Telnaes going after Trump isn’t remotely new and she hasn’t had her work rejected before despite how Trump’s behavior has provided an easy target for such a talented political cartoonist for nearly a decade. What is new is the cozy relationship between Trump and his buyers. Bezos needn’t have bothered quashing the cartoon. No one is trying to hide the oligarchy.
@gVOR10: Uh, guys. @Michael Reynolds was referring to himself, not Bezos. He is celebrating cancelling his own WaPost subscription.
And also, compared to Bezos, he is in poverty. I’ve done well myself, and it affords me a certain independence. And compared to Bezos, I’m a drop of water.
Cancelling your prime subscription does much more to hurt Bezos.