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QR coded Doonesbury pulled from major newspaper

Alan Gardner121 mins

The GoComics blog notes that today’s Doonesbury has been pulled from at least one major market
. No indication which paper or the reason. The only thing I can observe is the use of a QR code that takes the reader (provided they have a QR code reader on their mobile device) to donorschoose.org.

Scandalous.

Here’s the offending comic:

12 thoughts on “QR coded Doonesbury pulled from major newspaper”

  1. I was trying to figure out the reason, too. Papers must randomly pull Doonesbury just to make sure it’s the most censored strip in the history of comics.

  2. Some newspapers are especially afraid of the web, and might be intent on stopping anything that encourages people to go online. Some might be afraid of what’s in that little magic box that Zonker is holding, and that it might drop porn in the laps of unsuspecting juvenile readers they think they still have. Others are just looking for an excuse, any excuse, to drop Doonesbury.

  3. Maybe it is a more benign reason like and HR thing that says no one (employee or otherwise) can solicit donations/fund raising in the workplace ala don’t sell your kids girl scout cookies at work.

  4. The thought maybe the QR code took you to some other site beside DonorsChoose.org, so I scanned it.
    Nope. It takes you to where it says it does.
    Get the Scooby gang together because we’ve got ourselves a mystery.

  5. I assume from the script that Trudeau has shown a QR code before and it didn’t get pulled? So what’s the problem exactly? Alan, if you find out more, a followup would be in order I think.

  6. The Chicago Tribune didn’t carry today’s Doonesbury strip and ran “Thatababy” instead.

    I know the QR code appears in the Monday Mr. Boffo strips that the Chicago Tribune gets.

    1. Thanks Darryl. That probably answered the “who” question. I’ve been told a rumor, but nothing I’ve tried to confirm.

      That darn Garry for wanting us to donate to schools!!!!

  11. Here’s the Tribune’s write-up in Page 2 (Man I can’t believe I missed this; I thought it was Today’s (2/6 not 2/3) strip):

    NOTE TO READERS
    The “Doonesbury” cartoon is not running Friday. The comic strip broke from its satirical mission in order to deliver a direct fundraising appeal for a specific charity that the author favors. The Tribune’s editorial practices do not allow individuals to promote their self-interests.

    I’ve never heard of any newspaper using that as an excuse before.

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