Editorial cartoonist Ann Telnes
Courtesy of Ann Telnes
A Washington Post A cartoonist has left his role at the newspaper, saying its bosses stopped the publication of a satirical cartoon depicting billionaires, including one resembling the Post’s owner. jeff bezoskneeling before the president-elect Donald Trump,
an telnessThe Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist said in a blog post on Friday that he leave paper After a drawing has been rejected. It was the first time, Telnes wrote, in the Post that a cartoon was “killed because of who or what I aimed my pen at.”
A rough sketch of the cartoon, published on Telnes’ Substack blog, shows several people kneeling before a large man wearing a suit and long tie, representing Trump. Telnes wrote that there are similarities meta platform ceo Mark ZuckerbergOpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Los Angeles Times publisher Patrick Soon-Shiong and Bezos. Three of the men are holding bags full of money. It also includes an illustration representing the cartoon character Mickey Mouse Walt DisneyABC News.
Satirical illustration by Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnes, who resigned after it was rejected.
Courtesy of Ann Telnes
Telenes told CNBC in an email that the drawing was rejected outright by the newspaper, with no suggestions for possible changes.
David Shipley, the Washington Post’s editorial page editor, said in a statement that the cartoon was rejected because of its similarity to the newspaper’s columns, not because of who it targeted.
“I respect Ann Telnes and what she has given to The Post. But I must disagree with her interpretation of events. Not every editorial decision is a reflection of a malignant force. My decision was guided by the fact that We had just published a column on the same subject as the cartoon and already had another column – this one a satire – scheduled for publication, the only bias being against repetition,” Shipley’s statement said.
The cartoonist’s departure comes amid a dispute between the media and corporate executives Trump is being treatedBoth before and after the November election.
Washington Post reported this Bezos spiked Planned support of Trump opponent kamala harris By the newspaper before the presidential election. At the Los Angeles Times, Soon-Shiong also decided that the newspaper should stop any support The presidential race, however, prompted the resignation of several editorial board members.
Meanwhile, ABC News settles defamation suit with Trump $15 millionWhich was criticized by some media law experts, who thought the news organization had a strong case.
Bezos and Zuckerberg plan to donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund via Meta The Wall Street Journal reported last monthAnd he has been one of several billionaires to meet with Trump at his home in Mar-a-Lago since he won the election. Multiple outlets have reported that OpenAI’s Altman is also $1 million donation For opening fund.
Sen elizabeth warrenD-mas., weighed in On Telnes’s resignation at Prefer to pay a lower tax rate.”
Telnes’ departure is the latest of several internal shakeups at the post. Publisher and CEO Will Lewis took over the newspaper last year and clashed with the newsroom Reported by NPRSeveral of the newspaper’s top editors have left since Lewis took charge.
Telnes won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning in 2001. He wrote in his blog that he has worked for the Post since 2008.
