Plain Dealer explains why it pulled Non Sequitur

Alan Gardner January 23, 2012 1 minute 4 comments

Cleveland Plain Dealer Reader Representative Ted Diadiun writes the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s response as to why they pulled a recent Non Sequitur from their line up and due to time constraints left the space blank save an editorial message stating it had been pulled and a replacement couldn’t be found in time for print. The gist of the story is that the cartoon was flagged as possibly objectionable and required review and discussion by editors but for whatever reason the discussion didn’t happen and the buzzer rang and the paper went to press.

But here is the money quote:

Talk about handing readers a stick and asking them to beat us with it — an invitation, by the way, with which many of you complied.

I’m guessing that most readers — even those who aren’t fans or even regular followers of “Non Sequitur” — put down the paper and went right to the Internet to search for the strip and find out what was so objectionable. For those who didn’t, it showed a drawing of a bunny looking at a lineup of a bear, a fox, a cat, a snake and other predators, saying, “OK, I know how bad it sounds, but they all really do look alike to me.”

Comments ⁴

Andrew Caddell

I still don’t get it. 🙂

Ben Carlsen

Wow, a long explanation that explains pretty much nothing. What else should I expect?

I guess this means I’ll go to my grave never knowing what in the world could be considered objectionable about it. I mean, they gave examples of people who were offended by other comics and why they were offended, but what about those people who apparently called to tell them they did the right thing? Did they not give any reasons why they thought that, or what they might have found objectionable?

Pleh. I give up.

Mike Peterson

“Today’s ‘Non Sequitur’ strip was withheld because it was deemed objectionable by Plain Dealer editors”

In fact, according to the explanation, it wasn’t. So they not only pulled the comic, but ended up printing a lie in its place.

Nice job.

Beth Cravens

I agree with Miller here. Give your readers some credit. Just silliness to pull a comic on the strength of what someone MIGHT think.

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