When cartoonists offend readers

You are invited inside Horsey’s inner sanctum to discover what’s on the mind of the editorial cartoonist. Big thoughts about the world that didn’t make it into a cartoon? Burning questions for readers to debate? The inside scoop on how a cartooning commentator gets the job done? It’s all of the above, plus the occasional unpublished sketch and off-the-wall observation.

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When cartoonists offend readers

Here's a new experience for me: blogging by the side of a swimming pool.

I'm in San Antonio, Texas, attending the convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. It's a yearly gathering that I try not to miss since editorial cartoonists are a small and beleaguered band and it's nice to have the chance to share the unique pains and glories of the profession with the only people who really understand what it is I do and why I do it.

The pool time, here at the top of the lovely Hotel Contessa, is actually a rare moment of relaxation. Morning hours have been spent in sessions discussing weighty subjects, such as illegal immigration and the care and rehabilitation of severely wounded U.S. soldiers, as well as career related stuff, like journalism contests and the latest computer graphics technology.

One of the most entertaining panel presentations was about reader feedback – what used to consist of stern letters to the editor and heated phone calls, but is now an occasionally vile stream of insults delivered via e-mail and through comments logged below online cartoons.

Mike Lester who works in Rome, Georgia, offered the best answer to readers who ask editorial cartoonists why they can't draw positive cartoons: "Because those are called greeting cards." That retort, however, is not likely to satisfy cartoon critics.

Clay Bennett, who, in recent years, has won more awards for his consistently excellent work than any of us, told how he once opened his mail to find a clipping of one of his cartoons dipped in excrement. Another unhappy reader e-mailed him the following pleasant message: "Ann Coulter has more patriotic blood in her one used tampon than you have coursing through your entire body."

Ted Rall, who regularly pushes the boundaries of offensive commentary in his syndicated work, found reaction went beyond the standard anonymous insults from angered readers when he criticized widows of 9/11 victims. He felt a few of them were exploiting a horrible situation to enrich themselves. A group of New York City firefighters begged to differ. They showed up outside his apartment in a fire truck and milled around holding axes. They waited for him to come out until a friend of Ted's showed up with a camera and started taking pictures. Soon thereafter, Rall received a phoned death threat from a policeman who left his name and telephone number. When the cops and firefighters want to do you harm, Rall wondered, whom do you call for protection?

As disturbing as reader reaction can sometimes be, Bruce MacKinnon, a fine cartoonist who works in Halifax, Nova Scotia, had a much more chilling tale to tell. Recently, Canadian authorities broke up what they were quite sure was a serious terrorist plot. During the investigation, the wife of one of the alleged plotters threatened to sue the government for millions of dollars. The woman, a Canadian of European descent, is a convert to Islam and unfailingly appears in public wearing a black burkha. MacKinnon did a cartoon satirizing her lawsuit threat in which he drew the woman as she appears in her Islamic garb with no distortion. Incredibly, Islamic groups brought a human rights complaint that led to a police investigation to see if MacKinnon was promoting genocide. The investigation remains open – a frightening demonstration of the fact that, even in a country like Canada, hypersensitivity to the concerns of easily-offended religious sects is leading to infringement of free speech rights.

Posted by at June 28, 2008 4:09 p.m.

Comments

#145134

Posted by lost at 6/28/08 5:24 p.m.

Horsey: Since when have you cared one iota about the care and healing of wounded servicepeople; You use them as a crutch in your antigovernment rantings. Semper Fi.