Ann Telnaes says the tough model of the cartoon she drew for The Washington Put up , proven above, was rejected by the paper’s editorial web page editor.
Ann Telnaes
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Ann Telnaes
A Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for the Washington Put up has resigned after its editorial web page editor rejected a cartoon she created to mock media and tech titans abasing themselves earlier than President-elect Donald Trump.
Among the many company chiefs depicted by Ann Telnaes was Amazon founder and Put up proprietor Jeff Bezos. The episode follows Bezos’ determination in October to dam publication of a deliberate endorsement of Vice President Harris over Trump within the waning days of final yr’s presidential elections.
The inspiration for Telnaes’ newest proposed cartoon was the trek by prime tech chief executives together with Bezos to Trump’s Florida property, Mar-a-Lago, in addition to the seven-figure contributions a number of promised to make towards his inauguration. She submitted a sketch earlier than Christmas. It was by no means printed.
“I am very used to being edited,” Telnaes tells NPR. “I’ve by no means ever, since I’ve labored for the Put up in 2008, been not allowed to touch upon sure subjects by having cartoons being killed.”
“We now have to have the liberty to say what we need to say,” Telnaes provides. “We’re visible opinion makers.”
In a press release shared with NPR, Editorial Web page Editor David Shipley stated he revered Telnaes’ contributions to the Put up however took challenge along with her interpretation of occasions.
“Not each editorial judgment is a mirrored image of a malign power,” he stated. “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 Put up has seen a surge in cancellations
Many readers have signaled a scarcity of belief within the paper — which adopted the motto “Democracy Dies in Darkness” in the course of the Trump years — over Bezos’ determination to dam publication of the Harris endorsement.
300 thousand individuals canceled digital subscriptions between NPR’s revelation of the choice on Oct. 24 and Election Day, in accordance with an individual with direct information.
That determine represents about 12% of all digital subscriptions. The paper has been searching for to retain these clients earlier than these cancellations take full impact. (About 128,000 individuals subscribe to the print version, in accordance with the newest accessible figures from September.)
Bezos has stated he does not remorse the choice over the Harris endorsement, however might have timed it higher, and denied it had any connection to his multibillion-dollar enterprise dealings with the federal authorities by means of Amazon and his area firm Blue Origin.
Together with Bezos, Telnaes depicted Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI Chief Govt Sam Altman proven bringing Trump sacks of money. Los Angeles Instances proprietor and billionaire medical innovator Patrick Quickly-Shiong was proven bearing a tube of lipstick.
Additionally mendacity prostrate was Mickey Mouse — the avatar of the Walt Disney Co. Final month, Disney settled a Trump defamation go well with in opposition to ABC Information by agreeing to pay $15 million to an as-yet non-existent Trump basis and $1 million towards his authorized charges.
Like Bezos, Quickly-Shiong killed an editorial endorsing Harris, beforehand a state lawyer common and senator from California. Roughly 20,000 Los Angeles Instances subscribers canceled. Quickly-Shiong just lately instructed NPR that he acted to dam reflexive liberal bias on the paper and since the editorial board had not interviewed Harris throughout her marketing campaign. He famous he had beforehand spoken with Trump.
“In fact these are companies, and I perceive that,” Telnaes tells NPR. “However they personal a newspaper they usually have an obligation, frankly, to guard the free press. And I believe with these tech titan billionaires [and] information government homeowners, their actions have an effect on that free press.”
Like Apple chief Tim Prepare dinner, Zuckerberg, Altman and Bezos have stated they’d make seven-figure donations to assist cowl the prices of Trump’s second inauguration.
Some staffers depart the Put up after endorsement controversy
Telnaes says she had submitted the cartoon simply earlier than Christmas after which awaited Shipley’s return from journey overseas to speak to him after the brand new yr. She says Shipley appealed to her to remain however she couldn’t in good conscience agree.
Three staffers left the editorial board after Bezos’ determination on the Harris endorsement, whereas a contributing author resigned. On the time, Shipley made clear to colleagues that he had wished to publish it however accepted the result. The paper’s reporters lined the episodes and lots of opinion staffers wrote critiques of Bezos for the Put up and in social media.
Within the months since, a notable variety of distinguished journalists left the paper’s core newsroom. Performing Govt Editor Matt Murray killed an article concerning the departure of then Managing Editor Matea Gold for The New York Instances.
The Affiliation of American Editorial Cartoonists put out a press release in assist of Telnaes, a member and previous president of the group:
“Company billionaires as soon as once more have introduced an editorial cartoon to life with their craven censorship in bowing to a wannabe tyrant,” the group acknowledged. “Her principled resignation illustrates that whereas the pen is mightier than the sword, political cowardice as soon as once more eclipses journalistic integrity at The Washington Put up.”
