This story has been updated since its publication.
The New York Times have announced they will be dropping Patrick Chappatte and Heng Kim Song‘s daily political cartoons from the international edition of the paper next month:
Our statement in response to ending daily political cartoons in the international edition of The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/FcagTxEZJ9
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) June 10, 2019
While the press release states the Times wanted to bring the international edition in line with the domestic version (which does not carry cartoons), Chappatte attributed the decision to last month’s controversy over the paper carrying a syndicated cartoon of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu. The cartoon, created by Portuguese cartoonist António Moreira Antune, was acknowledged by the Times as containing anti-Semitic tropes, and had already led to the paper dropping all syndicated cartoons. In a blog post, Chappatte lamented how “years of work [were] undone by a single cartoon – not even mine – that should never have run in the best newspaper of the world.”
The Times stated, “We plan to continue investing in forms of Opinion journalism, including visual journalism, that express nuance, complexity and strong voice from a diversity of viewpoints across all of our platforms,” and that they “intend to do more such work and hope to collaborate with Patrick and Heng and others on such projects in the future.” Chappatte and Song have both had work published in Newsweek, and more regional publications closer to their homes like Der Spiegel and Lianhe Zaobao. Regardless, the decision has prompted disgust and criticism, with Washington Post artist Ann Telnaes calling it “feeble,” and declaring she had cancelled her subscription to the Times.
Chappatte noted on his blog that The New York Times had been one of the best places in the world to express defiance: “Cartoons can jump over borders. Who will show the emperor Erdogan that he has no clothes, when Turkish cartoonists can’t do it ? – one of them, our friend Musa Kart, is now in jail. Cartoonists from Venezuela, Nicaragua and Russia were forced into exile. Over the last years, some of the very best cartoonists in the U.S., like Nick Anderson and Rob Rogers, lost their positions because their publishers found their work too critical of Trump. Maybe we should start worrying. And pushing back. Political cartoons were born with democracy. And they are challenged when freedom is.”
Suzanne Nossel, Chief Executive Officer of PEN America, shared the following statement:
“We sincerely hope the New York Times will reconsider the decision to retire cartoons from its International edition. Free speech and open discourse demands an understanding that mistakes and offenses will occur, and a determination that these not be answered by shutting down expression to avert future lapses. In an age of fast-evolving social mores and heightened awareness of offense, political cartooning has become a risky business. But if outlets like the New York Times retreat from this uniquely potent form of political commentary, it may hasten the death of a form that has contributed immensely to our political conversation over time. The possibility of offense must not be reason to shut down valued channels of speech. As a leader in media the New York Times can get this right and help us to see how cartoons can continue to provide insight and inspiration amid our shared global commitment to eradicating bigotry.”
