Toronto Star editorial cartoonist Theo Moudakis has taken down a cartoon and
prevented it from being published as scheduled in the March 1, 2019 edition of the Star.
The offending cartoon:
Theo shared the cartoon Thursday night ahead of being printed in the Friday Star.
And instantly came under fire for the ‘inappropriate’, ‘classless’, ‘disgusting’ image.
The reason?
Many took issue with the cartoon, citing the death of Trudeau’s youngest brother – Michel. In 1998, Michel Trudeau was presumed drowned in the Kokanee Lake after [an avalanche swept him] off the Kokanee Glacier Park trail in British Columbia, the CBC reports.
Michael Trudeau’s body was never found.
In almost every case I disapprove of a cartoonist apologizing for a political statement
(of course I don’t have to deal with the fallout from a politically incorrect misstep),
in this case I think the apology was the correct thing to do.
London’s Daily Mail carries the story.
As quick as people were to condemn, they just as quickly forgave.
Interestingly, all the coverage and furor has ensured that multiple copies of the offending image will exist permanently across cyberspace. The thoughtless error has been propagated across the planet in indignation… one of the ironies of Internet news.
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I did not find the “apology” to had been necessary since the cartoon could be interpreted in many ways (for example, I had wondered if the part of the cartoon involving graphics resembling text of “2019 ELECTION” was meant to resemble a pile of snow).