Ann Telnaes, WaPo editorial cartoonist, quits after censorship

She quit because Post killed her cartoon showing tech billionaires genuflecting to Trump. Funnily enough, all of 'em were bald in the cartoon. Guess Jeff took offense. Prediction: Post doesn't make it to the 2026 midterms. This could lose 'em another 100K or so subscriptions.

 

I'm kinda torn on this one.

I certainly agree with the view that the way major media outlets are sucking up to the Trump regime -- WaPo included -- is horrifying and another nail in the coffin of democracy.

At the same time, if I use my company's resources to specifically mock the guy who owns my company, I fully expect that my key card won't work on Monday morning.

I assume her quitting was the entire point of this.

 

Wow, that's a pretty weak hill to die on. I hope she's saved her money.

 

Bezos is the only bald guy in the cartoon as shown above.

 

So she drew Bezos, and presumably expected that her boss would be comfortable getting fired along with her.

 

actually, I hope you’re right, because if she meant to quit, then she has a plan.

But I would never discount the naïveté of journalists.

 

She's 63. I figured she was either ready to retire and go out in a blaze of glory or was fresh out of college and figured she could do whatever she wanted.

 

In case anyone is interested in the artist's own words rather than guessing or wishcasting:
Why I'm quitting the Washington Post

 

Washington Post Cartoonist Quits After Jeff Bezos Cartoon Is Killed

David Shipley, The Post’s opinions editor, said in a statement that he respected Ms. Telnaes and all she had given to The Post “but must disagree with her interpretation of events."

“Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force,” Mr. Shipley said in the statement. “My decision was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column — this one a satire — for publication. The only bias was against repetition.”

Mr. Shipley added that he had spoken with Ms. Telnaes by phone on Friday and had asked her to reconsider resigning. During the call, Mr. Shipley said he wanted to speak with Ms. Telnaes on Monday, after they had taken the weekend to think things over. He later encouraged her to hold off on quitting to see if they could work out the situation in accordance with her principles.

Ms. Telnaes did not respond to requests for comment.

 

There's always a Lou Grant equivalent.