Newsday Apologizes for Printing Chip Bok Cartoon, also a Wyoming Paper
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From Newsday:
On Sunday afternoon, Newsday issued a written apology, calling the cartoon “insensitive and offensive.”
“We deeply regret this mistake and sincerely apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk and to all. We made an error in judgment. The cartoon has been removed from our digital platforms,” the statement said.
It went on: “In his illustration, Chip Bok used the name of Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, and the theme of his Utah event — “Prove Me Wrong” — to suggest that Kirk’s assassination might be a turning point for healing our nation’s divide. The imagery was inappropriate and should never have been published in Newsday,” reads the statement, signed by “Newsday Leadership.”
The apology came after an earlier statement from editorial page editor Rita Ciolli, which stated, “We regret the upset [the cartoon] caused.”
Naturally people misreading the cartoon hyped the hysteria.
Newsday competitor New York Post headlined their story: Newsday forced to apologize for ‘vile’ Charlie Kirk political cartoon after igniting call for boycott: ‘Crossed a line’:
A Long Island newspaper was forced to apologize Sunday for a political cartoon on the assassination of Charlie Kirk after it ignited a firestorm for the “vile” and “insensitive” piece.
“Newsday — the only daily paper for Long Island — has crossed a line. By publishing a vile cartoon about the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, the paper has mocked tragedy, stoked division, and poured gasoline on the flames of political violence,” Suffolk County Republican Party chairman Jesse Garcia said in a statement.
“This isn’t journalism. It’s a reckless, partisan attack that blames the victim, silences free speech, and shames everything this country should stand for,” Garcia said.
While Chip Bok is not a MAGA Republican I think implying the conservative cartoonist is a Democratic “partisan” displays the GOP chairman as ignorant of the cartoonist’s politics.
Mediaite covers other reactions from the right:
Newsday has issued a full apology after publishing a political cartoon referencing the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk sparking condemnation from Republican leaders and calls for a boycott of Long Island’s only daily paper.
On X Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman branded the drawing “over the top despicable” and “unconscionable,” urging readers to “Cancel Newsday!”
None of the stories identified Bok as a conservative cartoonist.
The Post did note the cartoonist’s freelance status:
Bok — who has penned cartoons for the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, and Newsweek — is not employed by Newsday, the outlet told The Post.
The cartoon that was published was syndicated, meaning it was sold to the outlet or borrowed from the artist for publishing.
Further reading: the conservative Daily Mail; the MAGA Newsmax; the centrist Daily Beast.
At the time of this posting the cartoon remains up at Creators and at GoComics.
In the less media concentrated area of Jackson Hole Wyoming their Daily also issued an apology with their interpretation of the cartoon and noting the political status of Chip Bok:
The Jackson Hole Daily has received considerable feedback concerning a syndicated cartoon on page 5 in the weekend edition. It ran as one of eight editorial cartoons as is customary in the weekend edition.
The drawing by Pulitzer finalist Chip Bok, an editorial cartoonist for nearly 40 years who produces work with a conservative viewpoint, uses the name of Charlie Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, and the theme of his Utah event, “Prove Me Wrong,” to suggest that Kirk’s assassination might be a turning point in our nation’s divide. The editors of the Daily interpreted the cartoon as a statement that the United States is at a turning point as a nation, where political violence is escalating at an alarming rate.
Many readers found the imagery upsetting and insensitive. It inflamed an array of emotions. We regret the decision to publish it, and we apologize to those who are offended. It has since been removed from the digital edition.
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