Cartoonist ‘KAL’ May Leave Baltimore ‘Sun’ After Buyout Offer

I posted earlier regarding the Sun’s buyout offer, but was unable to find any reports whether KAL’s position was in jeapardy. E&P reports that KAL is considering taking the buyout.

The Tribune Co. has asked The Sun to once again seek staff buyouts in various departments. “I have been offered a buyout like everyone else on the editorial board,” said Kallaugher, who doesn’t want to leave The Sun. “If they meet their buyout quota, I’ve dodged a bullet this time. If they don’t meet what they consider to be the required number of buyouts, the Tribune Co. could possibly eliminate the [Sun editorial cartooning] position.”

The last paragraph is depressing.

The Tribune Co.-owned Los Angeles Times announced last Friday that it was laying off editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez at the end of 2005 and eliminating the position. The Chicago Tribune never replaced editorial cartoonist Jeff MacNelly after he died in 2000. And The Sun’s Mike Lane, who shared editorial cartooning duties at the Baltimore paper with Kallaugher, accepted a buyout in July 2004.

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