Ann Telnaes Quits Washington Post After Cartoon Rejected, Depicting Bezos, Zuckerberg, Altman, Soon-Shiong, Disney, and Trump

Jan 4, 2025, 02:09 AM

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes has resigned from The Washington Post after the newspaper declined to publish her cartoon. The cartoon depicted billionaire tech and media executives, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Meta, Sam Altman of AI, Patrick Soon-Shiong of the LA Times, the Walt Disney Company representing ABC News, and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos, attempting to curry favor with President-elect Donald Trump. Telnaes, who joined the Post in 2008, stated that this was the first time a cartoon of hers was rejected due to its subject matter, marking a significant departure from her previous experiences with editorial feedback. She criticized the decision as detrimental to the principles of a free press, emphasizing the role of editorial cartoonists in holding powerful figures accountable.