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| Washington Post cartoonist quits after Bezos satire is rejected | Washington Post cartoonist quits after Bezos satire is rejected |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist has resigned from the Washington Post after the newspaper refused to publish a cartoon satirical of its billionaire owner Jeff Bezos. | |
| Ann Telnaes, a long-time Washington Post cartoonist, created a cartoon of Mr Bezos and other tycoons kneeling before a statue of President-elect Donald Trump. | Ann Telnaes, a long-time Washington Post cartoonist, created a cartoon of Mr Bezos and other tycoons kneeling before a statue of President-elect Donald Trump. |
| Ms Telnaes announced her resignation in a Substack post on Friday: "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." | |
| David Shipley, the editorial page editor at the paper, said he decided not to run the cartoon in order to avoid repetition, not because it mocked the paper's owner. | David Shipley, the editorial page editor at the paper, said he decided not to run the cartoon in order to avoid repetition, not because it mocked the paper's owner. |
| In the cartoon, Mr Bezos, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI's Sam Altman are depicted on their knees giving bags of cash to a statue of Trump. | In the cartoon, Mr Bezos, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI's Sam Altman are depicted on their knees giving bags of cash to a statue of Trump. |
| Mickey Mouse is also depicted prostrate in the cartoon. ABC News – which is owned by Disney – last month agreed to pay $15m to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump. | Mickey Mouse is also depicted prostrate in the cartoon. ABC News – which is owned by Disney – last month agreed to pay $15m to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump. |
| "The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump," Ms Telnaes wrote in her resignation announcement. | "The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump," Ms Telnaes wrote in her resignation announcement. |
| She said the cartoon was satirising "these men with lucrative government contracts and an interest in eliminating regulations". | She said the cartoon was satirising "these men with lucrative government contracts and an interest in eliminating regulations". |
| Ms Telnaes said the Washington Post's refusal to run the cartoon was a "game changer" and described it as "dangerous for a free press". | Ms Telnaes said the Washington Post's refusal to run the cartoon was a "game changer" and described it as "dangerous for a free press". |
| But Mr Shipley told the BBC his decision not to publish the cartoon was because of repetition of another piece set to publish. | But Mr Shipley told the BBC his decision not to publish the cartoon was because of repetition of another piece set to publish. |
| "I respect Ann Telnaes and all she has given to The Post. But I must disagree with her interpretation of events," he said in a statement. "Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force." | "I respect Ann Telnaes and all she has given to The Post. But I must disagree with her interpretation of events," he said in a statement. "Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force." |
| He added: "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." | He added: "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." |
| Last month, Mr Bezos announced Amazon would donate $1m to Trump's inauguration fund and make a $1m in-kind contribution. | Last month, Mr Bezos announced Amazon would donate $1m to Trump's inauguration fund and make a $1m in-kind contribution. |
| Mr Bezos also described Trump's re-election victory as "an extraordinary political comeback" and dined with him at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. | Mr Bezos also described Trump's re-election victory as "an extraordinary political comeback" and dined with him at the president-elect's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. |
| The newspaper faced a liberal backlash weeks before the November presidential election after Mr Bezos interceded to prevent the editorial board endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris. | The newspaper faced a liberal backlash weeks before the November presidential election after Mr Bezos interceded to prevent the editorial board endorsing Vice-President Kamala Harris. |
| Mr Bezos defended the move, but the newspaper reported it lost more than 250,000 subscribers following the decision. | Mr Bezos defended the move, but the newspaper reported it lost more than 250,000 subscribers following the decision. |
| The Los Angeles Times, whose owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is also depicted in the now-killed cartoon, made a similar move and said the newspaper would not publish its endorsement of Harris in October. | The Los Angeles Times, whose owner Patrick Soon-Shiong is also depicted in the now-killed cartoon, made a similar move and said the newspaper would not publish its endorsement of Harris in October. |