WaPo Cartoonist Resigns After Opinion Piece Killed

Ann Telnaes, a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist for The Washington Post, said on Friday evening that she was resigning after the newspaper’s opinions section rejected a cartoon depicting The Post’s owner, Jeff Bezos, genuflecting toward a statue of President-elect Donald J. Trump.

In a brief statement posted to Substack, Telnaes — who has worked at The Post since 2008 — called the newspaper’s decision to kill her cartoon a “game changer" that was “dangerous for a free press.”

Anne Telnaes

“In all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at,” she wrote. “Until now.” The NYTimes reports Telnaes included a draft of her cartoon in her Substack post. In addition to Mr. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, the cartoon depicted Meta’s founder, Mark Zuckerberg; Patrick Soon-Shiong, the owner of The Los Angeles Times; and Mickey Mouse, the corporate mascot of the Walt Disney Company.

David Shipley, The Post’s opinions editor, said in a statement that he respected Telnaes and all she had given to The Post “but must disagree with her interpretation of events."

“Not every editorial judgment is a reflection of a malign force,” Shipley said in the statement. “My decision was guided by the fact that we had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had already scheduled another column — this one a satire — for publication. The only bias was against repetition.”

Shipley added that he had spoken with Ms. Telnaes by phone on Friday and had asked her to reconsider resigning. During the call, Mr. Shipley said he wanted to speak with Ms. Telnaes on Monday, after they had taken the weekend to think things over. He later encouraged her to hold off on quitting to see if they could work out the situation in accordance with her principles.

Jeff Bezos' ownership of The Washington Post has been marred by unrest, primarily due to controversies surrounding the newspaper's publisher, Will Lewis. Lewis' appointment in Autumn 2023 was intended to revitalize the struggling newspaper, but his tenure has been plagued by scandals and criticism.

Controversies Surrounding Will Lewis

• Phone Hacking Scandal: Lewis' involvement in the Murdoch family's media group and the illegal phone-tapping scandal has raised concerns about his journalistic integrity.
• Suppression of Stories: Reports that Lewis tried to suppress stories about his role in cleaning up the phone hacking scandal and his subsequent attacks on media reporters have fueled tensions ².
• Robert Winnett's Appointment: The announcement of Robert Winnett as the paper's incoming editor sparked outrage due to his ties to a self-described "thief" who obtained private material using deceptive tactics.
• Financial Woes: The Washington Post suffered a $77 million loss in 2023, exacerbating concerns about Lewis' leadership

Staff Reaction and Morale

• Resignations: Managing editor Sally Buzbee's resignation and the withdrawal of Robert Winnett's appointment have contributed to the turmoil.
• Low Morale: Staffers are frustrated with Lewis' conduct, worried about the newspaper's future direction and exploring other job opportunities ².
• Calls for Change: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists David Maraniss and Scott Higham have publicly called for Lewis' resignation, citing loss of trust and legitimacy.

Bezos' Response

• Initial Silence: Bezos' lack of action and public statement on the crisis sparked criticism.
• Memo: Bezos eventually broke his silence with a memo emphasizing the importance of maintaining high journalistic standards, but stopped short of explicitly supporting Lewis.
• Uncertainty: Bezos' intentions and plans for addressing the crisis remain unclear, fueling ongoing uncertainty ³.