Comments on: Paul Fell loses gig after flippant remark about newspaper’s ethical policy (UPDATED… again)

By: The Daily Cartoonist | News and blog about comic strips, editorial cartoons, cartoons

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:02:18 +0000

[...] word of caution to Ben: Don’t donate any money, but if you do, don’t go on record as saying you “don’t give a ratâ€™s ass” about your paper’s conflict of interest or ethics policies. Be the first to post a [...]

By: Richard Sullivan

Richard Sullivan — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 20:05:13 +0000

What follows is a copy of a letter and a web page address I sent to the JournalStar Op/Ed page as well as Gordon Winters and Kathleen Rutledge.
They have apparently choosen not to share this info with their readers….
Richard Sullivan

http://www.publicintegrity.org/telecom/search/profile.aspx?id=M000237

Hypocrisy?

Re the â€œethics codeâ€ of Lee Enterprises Inc. (owners of the Lincoln Journal Star) and the firing of political cartoonist and commentator Paul Fell.
Just a scant five minutes of Googled research turns up some interesting information: The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-advocacy, independent journalism organization has a list of the individual and soft money political contributions by Lee Enterprises(70% of which have benefited Republicans).
Recipients of contributions include, The National Republican Congressional Committee, The Republican National Committee, George W. Bush, The Republican Party of Iowa, Both Jim Leach(R) and Chuck Grassley(R) of Iowa, even Tom Osborne (Iâ€™d be remiss if I didnâ€™t point out that they did also give $200 to John Kerry in 2004 and a whopping $400 to Al Goreâ€™s ill-fated 2000 campaign).
Yes, the ethically-challenged ownersof the Lincoln Journal Star apparently have their own Cheneyesque set of rules they can choose to follow or disregard.
Gee, I wonder if the Republican Party â€œSlantâ€ of the Lee Enterprises ownership influences news coverage at any of their 56 newspapers spanning 23 states. Nah. Unless those owners of the Lincoln Journal Star could give a ratâ€™s ass about the ethical policies they expect of their employees.

Richard Dale Sullivan
Lincoln Nebraska

By: JeffM

JeffM — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 04:43:25 +0000

Paul, things always happen for a reason. When one door closes, another opens up.

By: Paul Fell

Paul Fell — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 01:40:21 +0000

I take no offense at what Rick said. As he accurately observed, what I did is not really recommended behavior for keeping and/or attracting clients. As he said in his last post, he would probably have reacted in the same way. If you read my perspective on the whole situation that’s posted at the beginning of this exchange, you can see that they just pushed me once too often and a bit too far.

Frankly, I’m happy and relieved to be though with that outfit. It was bound to happen in one form or another, sooner or later. I threw myself a 2-minute pity party on Saturday morning and now it’s on to bigger and better things.

By: Mark Whitmer

Mark Whitmer — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 21:20:52 +0000

I think Dawn is spot on myself.

By: Rick Stromoski

Rick Stromoski — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 17:58:44 +0000

I merely made the point that Paul himself admits that he handled this less professionally than he should have. I probably would have reacted as Paul did against a client that felt it could dictate what can be on my website or who I could support politically. But then I would have lost a client.

As for Dawn’s comments regarding mine and others’ motives, well I’ll just have to leave those out in left field where they belong.

By: Dawn Douglass

Dawn Douglass — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:39:16 +0000

Oh, come on, Alan. Rick denigrated Paul’s business acumen. And to answer your question, it comes from years of my own observations and experiences.

Plus, you can’t talk to as many cartoonists and syndicate folks as I have over as many years as I have without hearing all the stories from different sources, like it or not. Bad behavior shouldn’t be tolerated, esp. when it comes in the form of “innocent comments” that are really just kicking somebody when he’s down because of old grudges, true or imagined. Who cares? Let it go, for goodness sakes.

Stop all the infighting and backbiting in cartooning and it would be a lot healthier industry, if you ask me.

By: Alan Gardner

Alan Gardner — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:52:56 +0000

Wow, Dawn. Where did that come from? I saw nothing in Rick’s comment that was a jab or polarizing or spiteful. Certainly nothing I haven’t said myself on other boards.

Let’s keep it civil here. :)

By: Dawn Douglass

Dawn Douglass — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:46:20 +0000

LOL Rick, you’re too predictable. Even I, who have nothing to do with the NCS, know at least some of those who are on your enemies list from your never-miss-an-opportunity delight in publicly jabbing them. :)

As for “ethics in cartooning”…hmmm…maybe that could start with the NCS selecting leaders who aren’t so unprofessionally spiteful and polarizing that their internal politics spills over into unseemly public display.

By: Daryl Cagle

Daryl Cagle — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:00:56 +0000

Rick’s right. We’d all like to see a story that explores ethics for cartoonists, but this isn’t it.