A Jeff Koterba cartoon making fun of Senator Harry Reid’s comments regarding President Obama’s skin color was pulled from Tuesday’s edition due to concerns over how it would be interpreted. The cartoon depicts Reid as a census taker asking three African-Americans, “Now then, would you gentlemen say you are ‘black,’ ‘African-American,’ or ‘Negro’?”
In an email exchange posted by Neal Obermeyer, Jeff reportedly said, “Concerns were raised as to how the cartoon might be interpreted so my editor pulled it.”
So let’s run it with your “Stay Tooned!” profile, Jeff.
This is kind of a non-news item to me. Editor changes mind and pulls cartoon. That happens everyday. Sometimes it is after a few edition are printed.
I don’t think the cartoon’s offensive, or good enough to fight for.
But … last time I checked, the census *is* offering those three choices, among others, for people to use to describe themselves. Without that layer of information, the toon isn’t good enough to fight for, but *with* it, it’s good enough to revise to let the nuances come through.
Seems like Jeff needs an editor who keeps up with the news.
When I first saw this cartoon, I was struck by the fact that Jeff, in coloring his cartoon, didn’t make ANY of the three figures questioned look like African-Americans except by their clothing. None of them are any darker than Harry Reid!
Sorry cartoonists, editors are the Editors, cartoonists are censored a lot, except me, in being published twenty five years or more ,I can’t think of a time , one of my toons, was censored, not run maybe, wait I think in Berkley , once, so I never sent them another, but editors buy the stuff, so we are kind’a at their mercy, as to say. Got’ta lot of, ” that’s not funny” , “I don’t get it,” no runs”, but not out right censored ….. just lucky I guess
“Concerns were raised as to how the cartoon might be interpreted so my editor pulled it.â?
If that is the criteria for publishing a cartoon ….there isn’t ANY cartoon that can be published.
If you’re worried about intentional or unintentional misinterpretations of a cartoon…. soon all you’ll be left with is an antiquated news platform that has been edited into irrelevancy.
….Harry Reid is working behind closed doors on a new potion that cures everything…