Detroit News editorial cartoonist Henry Payne is being charges with drawing a “racist” cartoon that seems to imply that U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian American, is a member of Hezbollah.
A Detroit News auto industry reporter who moonlights as a political cartoonist is being criticized for appearing to imply that U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib is a member of Hezbollah, which critics have labeled as “racist,” “xenophobic,” “vile,” and “disgusting.”
The illustration depicts Tlaib at her desk next to the charred remains of an electronic device with a thought balloon reading, “Odd, my pager just exploded.” The cartoon is a reference to a recent attack against the Lebanese organization Hezbollah that is believed to have been orchestrated by Israel, in which beepers and walkie-talkies were modified to act as remote-controlled explosives.
Mediaite, “a trusted source for news on the intersection of media and politics,” also picked up the story:
The Detroit News and National Review faced harsh backlash for publishing a political cartoon connecting Rep. Rashida Tlaib (R-MI) to the pager bombs in Lebanon and Syria.
Mediaite carries a number of tweets denouncing the cartoon, including from Tlaid herself.
IF the cartoon ever ran at Henry Payne’s GoComics page, it has been taken down now.
A smear and calumny any way you look at it. Disgusting and racist.
Cartoon is spot on,also the reason first amend exits! Move on!
this is the kind of stuff political cartooning is for. It’s supposed to be nasty and mean. People on the other side of the issue are usually far, far worse.