(Ann Telnaes)
It’s been 12 years since Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and one of the world’s richest men, bought the Washington Post. In that time he’s pretty much left the editorial staff alone — until now.
In the first week of the new year, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes turned in a cartoon that was flat-out rejected by her editor. The subject was, as you can see below, billionaires — and even Mickey Mouse — tripping over themselves to make obeisance to President-elect Donald Trump. Prominent among them is Telnaes’ ultimate boss, the bushy-eyebrowed Bezos.
Make that “was.” Telnaes did what any self-respecting journalist/cartoonist would do when her cartoon was killed: She quit her job at the Post.
“I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations — and some differences — about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now,” Telnaes wrote on her Substack page (https://bit.ly/PostTelnaes).
She continues, “To be clear, there have been instances where sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, but never because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon’s commentary. That’s a game changer … and dangerous for a free press.
“As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job.”
To be fair, we don’t know if Bezos ever saw the cartoon. But the fact that the editor felt the need to shield the big guy from criticism makes you wonder if there’s an undercurrent of fear running through the WaPo newsroom.
To be sure, this ain’t Woodward and Bernstein’s Washington Post.
Whatever is going on in Washington, it’s riled up journalists from coast to coast. They’re printing Telnaes’ rough draft of the cartoon, as are we. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists has called the rejection “craven censorship” and “political cowardice.” Andy Borowitz of the New York Times wrote about it in his Borowitz Report, and he encourages publication of the cartoon wherever and whenever — kind of an internet-led protest.
With hedge funds gutting small newspapers left and right, all we need is billionaires like Elon Musk telling us what’s fit to print (and by extrapolation, what to think). We don’t know if Glen Taylor has much to say about the daily operations of the Minnesota Star Tribune, but he appears to understand the concept of press freedom and lets the reporters, photographers and editors do their thing. That’s a blessing for Minnesotans.
Journalists are a tough-minded lot, and they’ll find other ways to report the news and express opinions. As actor Jeff Goldblum said in Jurassic Park, “Life finds a way.” So do journalists. As Ann Telnaes’ cartoon circulates around the internet, gathering “likes” along the way, it’s bringing attention to the right enshrined in the First Amendement to the U.S. Constitution. As Borowitz pointed out in “Democracy dies in Bezos,” “If enough people do [publish her cartoon], it will reach a larger audience than if her WaPo editor had had the cojones to run it.” Bezos could have stepped in after the cartoon was rejected to make sure it ran.
As for these thin-skinned rich people, if you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.