Pulitzer-Winning Cartoonist Ann Telnaes Resigns From Washington Post After Rejection of Cartoon Depicting Jeff Bezos and Tech/Media Billionaires Currying Favor With Trump

Jan 4, 2025, 02:55 AM

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes has resigned from The Washington Post after the newspaper rejected a cartoon that depicted its owner, Jeff Bezos, along with other tech and media billionaires, genuflecting toward President-elect Donald Trump. Telnaes, who joined the Post in 2008, stated that this was the first time in her tenure that a cartoon was killed due to its subject matter. The cartoon criticized tech and media executives, including Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Sam Altman of AI, Patrick Soon-Shiong of the LA Times, and representatives from the Walt Disney Company and ABC News, for allegedly currying favor with Trump, mentioning their lucrative government contracts and interest in eliminating regulations, as well as their visits to Mar-a-lago. Telnaes argued that preventing the publication of her work was a dangerous move for a free press and undermined her role in holding powerful figures accountable, especially given her involvement with the Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and Cartoonists Rights, emphasizing the importance of editorial cartoonists in civic debate and journalism. The Washington Post's opinions editor, David Shipley, responded by disagreeing with Telnaes's interpretation, stating that the decision was based on avoiding repetition of content already published or scheduled, and not due to editorial criticism of visual metaphors or the inherent point of view of the cartoon, which had previously led to sketches being rejected or revisions requested. Shipley highlighted the newspaper's public obligations to nurture a free press, cautioning against actions that could undermine it by trying to get in the good graces of an autocrat-in-waiting. Telnaes expressed doubt that her decision to leave would cause much of a stir, fearing it might be dismissed because she is 'just a cartoonist,' yet she remains committed to holding truth to power through her cartooning, echoing the sentiment that 'democracy dies in darkness.'