Anne Ternes, a longtime editorial cartoonist for the Washington Post, quit her job at the paper after the paper refused to run her cartoon satirizing billionaire owner Jeff Bezos.
According to Substack, Ternes, who was hired in 2008, became a media critic when the Post failed to publish a cartoon criticizing recent relationships between tech and media moguls and President-elect Donald Trump. He cited concerns about freedom as the reason. post Her article was published on Friday.
“I’ve never had a comic get killed because of who or what they pointed their pen at. Until now,” Ternaes said.
The cartoon features Bezos, Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, and Walt Disney. Mickey Mouse was depicted on bended knee offering money for a caricature of Trump on behalf of the company and media broadcaster ABC News. (Related: Major media forces Trump to pay $15 million)
The moguls “were doing their best to gain favor.” [Trump]” Ternaes said.
Ann Ternes, who has worked as an editorial cartoonist at the Washington Post since 2008, said she has now left the paper after the following cartoon she drew was killed: pic.twitter.com/ThHbQiATOS
— Phillip Lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 4, 2025
David Shipley, editor of the Washington Post editorial page, claimed responsibility for retracting Ternes’ cartoon. According to On Fox News. The Washington, D.C.-based outlet reportedly planned two columns, one satirical, that would cover the same issue. Publishing Ternaes’ comics would be a repeat, he added.
“Not all editorial decisions reflect malign forces,” Shipley said, according to Fox News. “My decision was dictated by the fact that I had just published a column on the same theme as the cartoon and had already planned to publish another column (this one satire). The only prejudice was against repetition .”
Ternas said she did not object to the editorial criticism and had had “productive conversations” about her previous work. The editor’s feedback was never from a “perspective unique to comic commentary.” It is a game changer and a danger to press freedom,” she wrote.
“Recently, there have been multiple articles about these guys who are headed to Mar-a-Lago with lucrative government contracts and an interest in deregulation,” Ternes wrote, citing the inspiration for the comic. He explained and quoted an article. Submit an article Regarding Bezos and Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s dinner with Trump on December 18th.
The dinner signaled that Mr. Bezos had repaired Mr. Musk’s relationship with Mr. Trump and strengthened his support for Mr. Trump’s interest in breaking through bureaucracy, the paper said.
some People — including Democratic Massachusetts Sen. elizabeth warren — in support of Ternas, “broligarchy”
.@AnimalCrossing She resigned after the Washington Post editorial page removed a cartoon of her. It’s worth sharing.
Big tech executives are bowing to Donald Trump, and it’s no wonder why. Billionaires like Jeff Bezos prefer to pay lower taxes than public school teachers. pic.twitter.com/xv6e5dJVf4
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 4, 2025
Ternas added that the press as a public institution should be nurtured and its owners should protect freedom of the press.
“[T]”Attempting to benefit from a dictator-in-waiting will only undermine press freedom,” she wrote.
As soon as she tried to overturn the election and incite a mob to violently attack the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/BIuF8YktP8
— Ann Telnaes (@AnnTelnaes) September 6, 2024
Bezos and the Post faced some backlash after Bezos blocked the paper from endorsing a presidential candidate as the paper prepared to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee. Showed.
bezos I wrote He took this position because such an endorsement would give the media a biased impression. “Terminating them is a principled decision and the right decision,” he wrote, adding, “There is no quid pro quo of any kind here.”
