Cartoon: Firing cartoonists

Last week, Canadian cartoonist Michael de Adder drew a cartoon of President Trump standing over the bodies of two drowned migrants and it went viral. Twenty four hours later, the publishing company that he drew cartoons for, Brunswick News Inc., terminated its contract with de Adder.

This is the environment editorial cartoonists work in. Patrick Chappatte was fired from the New York times last month. Rob Rogers, was fired from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last year for cartoons critical of Trump. Steve Benson lost his job with the Arizona Republic earlier this year. I was let go from the Houston Chronicle in 2017. 

Conservative cartoonists aren’t immune either; Rick McKee and Nate Beeler were notified their jobs will end this month. Many other cartoonists have met similar fates.

Editorial cartooning is under existential threat. Newspapers are killing us. If you value this important art form, please help us spread the word about Counterpoint, a free email newsletter. De Adder, Rogers and McKee are all contributors – and of course, yours truly. You can also support my on my Patreon Page for as little as $1 a month. 

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