Toons – Bad Timing, Bad Taste
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The New Yorker posted and then deleted a pre-scheduled Joe Dator cartoon on Thursday June 12, 2025.
The New Yorker has apologized after posting a cartoon poking fun at the pains of air travel hours after a fatal plane crash in India.
The legendary magazine posted the sketch on Thursday, less than eight hours after the Air India crash that killed more than 200 in Gujarat.
The crash occurred just after 4am ET, and the post was deleted after around two hours.
The New Yorker’s Instagram page was met with outrage [when it] posted a cartoon poking fun at the pains of air travel hours after a fatal plane crash in India.
In a statement, a representative for the publication explained how the post had been published.
‘The Instagram post was pre-scheduled before today’s tragic news out of India,’ a New Yorker spokesperson said in a statement. ‘We have since deleted the post and regret the inadvertent poor timing.’
The Daily Mail said the cartoon was originally published in 2015.
On the other side of the world…
The Arabian Post reports on another magazine offering an apology for a cartoon involving the Air India crash:
A leading news magazine has issued an unreserved apology after provoking ire with an airplane cartoon linked to the tragic Air India crash on 12 June in Ahmedabad, when flight AI171 went down shortly after take‑off carrying over 240 passengers. The sketch, which many saw as insensitive and lacking compassion, appeared in the aftermath of the catastrophe—and has since drawn widespread condemnation.
Neither the magazine nor the cartoonist was identified in the news item, though the cartoon was described:
The cartoon, featuring a minimalist aeroplane sketched over a wavy line of smoke, was published beneath a satirical caption, widely criticised as mocking the disaster. Families of the victims and aviation safety experts denounced the caricature as a betrayal of public sentiment at a time of profound grief. Advocates for respectful journalism also criticised the decision, urging the magazine to uphold higher ethical standards.
Editorial sources confirm the piece was intended as dark satire, but nowhere intended to belittle the tragedy. In its apology, the magazine’s editor-in-chief stated that its aim was to critique broader aviation safety concerns, not to exploit suffering. “We deeply regret any offence caused. Our intentions were misguided, and we will be reviewing our processes,” the statement read.
Arabian Post continues:
Meanwhile, public sentiment toward the magazine reflects broader tensions within news media. Social commentators argue that satire must be grounded in context and tone. One critic told this report that humour which trades on fresh grief “crosses the line from satire into callousness”. Meanwhile, the editor’s apology has been met with cautious approval, though many ask for clearer assurances about editorial accountability.
The magazine has pledged to implement several remedies…
I have been unable to discover the magazine or the cartoon.
Sandeep Adhwaryu for The Times of India offers a more thoughtful cartoon:
More bad timing:
New Delhi:
A front-page newspaper advertisement featuring an Air India aircraft on Thursday is in the spotlight after Flight AI171, operated by the same airline, crashed hours later.
On the afternoon of June 12, Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad. Of the 242 people on board, only one passenger survived.
That morning, the Mid-Day newspaper, also popular in Gujarat, featured a large advertisement on its front page promoting KidZania’s upcoming Father’s Day weekend event. KidZania, an indoor miniature city designed for children aged 4-16, allows kids to role-play real-world professions like pilots, doctors, chefs, and engineers.
The ad featured a stylised cartoon cityscape, with a prominently branded Air India aircraft emerging from a building facade…
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