Stripping ‘Doonesbury’: Tribune silences satire
It was less than a year ago that the Chicago Tribune went to some lengths to explain that it wasn’t censoring the comic strip “Doonesbury.”
“Every now and then, a comic strip takes a vacation, and the syndicate that provides it gives us reruns,” the newspaper told its readers in November. “Sometimes we use a cartoon’s time off to give other — brand-new — comics some exposure. Because most comic strips can be viewed online, conspiracy theorists see the repeats and accuse us of silencing a satirist. Worse, we are accused of censorship — and lying about it. The reality just isn’t that interesting, folks.”
Yet this week the Tribune is in fact “silencing a satirist,” removing “Doonesbury” from its pages because “the subject matter does not meet our standards of fairness (because) the strip includes excerpts from a book that is not yet on the market and therefore unavailable for review or verification by the Tribune,” according to a report by Poynter’s Jim Romenesko.
This week’s “Doonesbury” features excerpts from author Joe McGinniss’ upcoming biography of Sarah Palin. McGinniss and “Doonesbury” creator Gary Trudeau collaborated on the strip, which portrays Palin in a distinctly unflattering light.
The First Amendment guarantees that a newspaper can decide what to publish — or not publish. The Tribune is entirely within its rights, but it’s certainly an uncomfortable position for any news organization that aspires to reflect the full marketplace of ideas.
Comic strips are sometimes lifted for taste reasons, but it’s highly unusual to see a strip removed because the newspaper couldn’t verify its source material. Does that mean the Tribune routinely reviews each strip to ensure its factual integrity? Granted, “Nancy” rarely comments on President Obama’s health-care plan, but there’s also no question that comic strips are more topical and pointed than ever. Is the Tribune saying that it’s vouching for the fairness of all of those it publishes?
As a former newspaper editor, I know the challenge of dealing with syndicated material that you find unprofessional or unfair. As an editor, you make daily choices about what to publish, but if you pull a regular feature, the public is more likely to see you as a censor than an editor.
Tags: cartoon, censorship, comic, newspaper
5 Responses to “Stripping ‘Doonesbury’: Tribune silences satire”
Let Us Know What You Think
The First Amendment Center is an educational organization and cannot provide legal advice.
Ken Paulson is president and chief executive officer/First Amendment Center. Previously, Paulson served as editor and senior vice president/news of USA Today and USATODAY.com.
Gene Policinski, senior vice president and executive director of the First Amendment Center, is a veteran journalist whose career has included work in newspapers, radio, television and online.
John Seigenthaler founded the First Amendment Center in 1991 with the mission of creating national discussion, dialogue and debate about First Amendment rights and values.
Dr. Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Education Project at the Newseum. He writes and speaks extensively on religious liberty and religion in American public life.
David L. Hudson Jr. is a scholar at the First Amendment Center. Hudson writes for firstamendmentcenter.org and for other publications devoted to First Amendment issues.
Tiffany Villager is director/First Amendment studies at the First Amendment Center, which she joined in 1993. She also served as the center’s research manager and research coordinator, and developed the center’s library.
I have never worked at a news agency nor faced that kind of issue, so I can only speculate here.
From what I can tell though the strip, co-authored by the book author, on the topic of the book and it seems even with an excerpt, this goes beyond just the discernible content of the strip.
Just like film production like Star Wars also market toys, video games, and other spin offs of the brand, this particular cartoon seems now undifferntiably entangled with the content of the book, becoming part of that total brand or marketing.
I always applaud the First Amendment Center’s endorsement of diversity of opinion and expression, as well as responsible journalism. Here though I think it may have been fair though for the Chicago Tribune to wonder what they were really getting into, and not knowing, holding back at least for now.
I think that if the Tribune addresses this issue by informing readers that it WILL run the strip, but is holding off until the book is published, then it’s a completely defensible position.
[...] First Amendment Center President Ken Paulson offered his opinion in a recent column for the First Amendment Center website. He notes that the First Amendment cuts both ways: The First Amendment guarantees that a newspaper can decide what to publish — or not publish. The Tribune is entirely within its rights, but it’s certainly an uncomfortable position for any news organization that aspires to reflect the full marketplace of ideas. [...]
[...] position for any news organization that aspires to reflect the full marketplace of ideas.” [First Amendment Center] [...]
[...] http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/stripping-doonesbury-tribune-silences-satire, Like this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]