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Dennis Donovan

(29,931 posts)
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 08:58 PM Jan 3

Ann Telnaes: Why I'm quitting the Washington Post

Ann Telnaes - Why I'm quitting the Washington Post

Democracy can't function without a free press

Ann Telnaes
Editorial cartoonist
Jan 03, 2025

I’ve worked for the Washington Post since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist. I have had editorial feedback and productive conversations—and some differences—about cartoons I have submitted for publication, but in all that time I’ve never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at. Until now.

The cartoon that was killed criticizes the billionaire tech and media chief executives who have been doing their best to curry favor with incoming President-elect Trump. There have been multiple articles recently about these men with lucrative government contracts and an interest in eliminating regulations making their way to Mar-a-lago. The group in the cartoon included Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook & Meta founder and CEO, Sam Altman/AI CEO, Patrick Soon-Shiong/LA Times publisher, the Walt Disney Company/ABC News, and Jeff Bezos/Washington Post owner.

While it isn’t uncommon for editorial page editors to object to visual metaphors within a cartoon if it strikes that editor as unclear or isn’t correctly conveying the message intended by the cartoonist, such editorial criticism was not the case regarding this cartoon. To be clear, there have been instances where sketches have been rejected or revisions requested, but never because of the point of view inherent in the cartoon’s commentary. That’s a game changer…and dangerous for a free press.



Over the years I have watched my overseas colleagues risk their livelihoods and sometimes even their lives to expose injustices and hold their countries’ leaders accountable. As a member of the Advisory board for the Geneva based Freedom Cartoonists Foundation and a former board member of Cartoonists Rights, I believe that editorial cartoonists are vital for civic debate and have an essential role in journalism.

/snip
59 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Ann Telnaes: Why I'm quitting the Washington Post (Original Post) Dennis Donovan Jan 3 OP
Good for her. sinkingfeeling Jan 3 #1
Brava, Ann Telnaes! FakeNoose Jan 3 #2
A lady snowybirdie Jan 3 #3
I so wish they would all band together and make a new, actually decent, newspaper. Scrivener7 Jan 3 #4
A number of former WaPo reporters got jobs with the Atlantic. Ocelot II Jan 3 #14
Oh, dear, this is a big loss. mahatmakanejeeves Jan 3 #5
Yeah - that'll happen............... MyOwnPeace Jan 3 #10
I'd bet on no. "First you have to admit you have a problem." calimary Jan 3 #26
Nah. Bezos hasn't the manhood to regret anything RVN VET71 Jan 4 #38
I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream JanMichael Jan 4 #49
Danke! I will check it out RVN VET71 Jan 8 #58
It's not quite what I would have expected. JanMichael Jan 8 #59
Please... He's laughing all the way to the bank with Donnie Blue_Tires Jan 6 #57
Great cartoon. Baitball Blogger Jan 3 #6
This is very sad. She's a great editorial cartoonist. I admire her principles but very sorry spooky3 Jan 3 #7
Thank you Ms. Telnaes JustAnotherGen Jan 3 #8
Brava! SheltieLover Jan 3 #9
Good for her MustLoveBeagles Jan 3 #11
I'm trying the sign up for free option to her newsletter, but so far it hasn't shown up Hekate Jan 3 #12
Just confirms I did the right thing when I canceled my subscription ribrepin Jan 3 #13
Ditto. Pinback Jan 3 #24
The WAPO needs to change it's motto tonekat Jan 4 #48
Wow. I'm impressed that she's doing this but horrified that she has to. Kablooie Jan 3 #15
tell us more! NJCher Jan 3 #16
We were both working on "The Brave Little Toaster" in Taiwan. Kablooie Jan 4 #35
Cool! calimary Jan 4 #36
Wow. BumRushDaShow Jan 3 #17
I have no doubt she'll get hired somewhere quickly Blue_Tires Jan 6 #56
Way to go Ann! 😁 boonecreek Jan 3 #18
That bald-headed fuck is going to rue the day he bent his fucking knee to Motherfucker Aviation Pro Jan 3 #19
I so so hope you're right about that, AP! BComplex Jan 4 #44
We need more people . . . AverageOldGuy Jan 3 #20
Yes, the pitchforks will be coming out. eom Exp Jan 3 #21
Congrats, Ann! I subscribed to the Boston Globe TBF Jan 3 #22
The Washington Post is dead to me. dalton99a Jan 3 #23
I canceled when Bezos denied the editorial board their endorsement Pris Jan 3 #25
A wonderful person that has what we DU's love.....INTEGRITY chouchou Jan 3 #27
Gonna report on this Stephanopoulos? nt miyazaki Jan 3 #28
One more reason she's one of my favorite political cartoonists. GoCubsGo Jan 3 #29
She speaks truth Pas-de-Calais Jan 3 #30
Democracy Dies In Darkness on a Friday night. COL Mustard Jan 3 #31
Thank you, Ann Telnaes. Jeff Bezos must sell WaPo to someone who actually wants it to be a newspaper. SunSeeker Jan 3 #32
Well, if I hadn't already cancelled my subscription, this would have done it JHB Jan 3 #33
Woah, I Thought that Name looked Familiar! Good Luck & TY, AnnTelnaes! electric_blue68 Jan 4 #34
Outstanding. I've read that a number of WaPo writers are Mike 03 Jan 4 #37
If you've canceled your Washington Post subscription jayschool2013 Jan 4 #39
I've enjoyed her work for years. She's one of the very best. Paladin Jan 4 #40
Ann Telnaes is possibly the best editorial cartoonist. Her resignation is just one more reason to cancel WaPo. Lonestarblue Jan 4 #41
As a fellow cartoonist... GiqueCee Jan 4 #42
I cancelled my subscription to the Washington Post after Bezo blocked the WP endorsement of VP Harris. At the very JohnSJ Jan 4 #43
At least some are still sounding the alarm. yellow dahlia Jan 4 #53
Thank goodness for professionals like Ann. Passages Jan 4 #45
Truth is what keeps a Democracy. Kid Berwyn Jan 4 #46
I guess Mickey Mouse is dead? Killed by DeSantis? CaptainTruth Jan 4 #47
The Borowitz Report - Democracy Dies in Bezos LetMyPeopleVote Jan 4 #50
One can't be owned and free at the same time Uncle Joe Jan 4 #51
I hope the WP goes bankrupt in 2025 never to be seen or heard from again Blue Owl Jan 4 #52
She's always had integrity. Her work is brilliant. mountain grammy Jan 4 #54
The Streisand effect in full display. Kablooie Jan 5 #55

MyOwnPeace

(17,291 posts)
10. Yeah - that'll happen...............
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:32 PM
Jan 3

just as soon as IQ45/47 (it really hasn't gone up, by the way.......) says he's going to try to be a better person........... (I know, that's a tough one to even begin to consider without a little bit of throw-up in your throat).

calimary

(85,662 posts)
26. I'd bet on no. "First you have to admit you have a problem."
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:37 PM
Jan 3

I’d expect Bezos to walk the plank toward a big pool of alligators before he’d admit he might have made a mistake.

RVN VET71

(2,860 posts)
38. Nah. Bezos hasn't the manhood to regret anything
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 08:41 AM
Jan 4

He's a frightened opportunist who tickled Fat Donnie's cojones by rejecting the Harris endorsement of his formerly significant paper.

He likely thinks that cartoonists are a dime a dozen. Harlan Ellison tells a story about a TV exec who announced to his board that writers were a dime a dozen. Ellison, who attended that meeting, was fired after punching the s.o.b. in the face for saying that. Would that someone would do the same to Little Penis Rocket.

JanMichael

(25,555 posts)
49. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:44 PM
Jan 4

There is a newish Netflix adaptation called the Amazing Digital Circus. Not too bad. But the AM character isn't malevolent enough.

JanMichael

(25,555 posts)
59. It's not quite what I would have expected.
Wed Jan 8, 2025, 07:56 PM
Jan 8

It's a little cartoony but it is based on the original.

spooky3

(37,260 posts)
7. This is very sad. She's a great editorial cartoonist. I admire her principles but very sorry
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:08 PM
Jan 3

to see WaPo continue to sink.

Hekate

(96,973 posts)
12. I'm trying the sign up for free option to her newsletter, but so far it hasn't shown up
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:41 PM
Jan 3

I know where my Junk and Trash folders are, but not the Spam. I’ll keep trying — I love her cartoons and imho she is one of the best.

ribrepin

(1,837 posts)
13. Just confirms I did the right thing when I canceled my subscription
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 09:48 PM
Jan 3

when the non-endorsement during the presidential election occurred.

tonekat

(2,187 posts)
48. The WAPO needs to change it's motto
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 02:07 PM
Jan 4

From: Democracy Dies In Darkness
To: We Are The Darkness

Kablooie

(18,869 posts)
15. Wow. I'm impressed that she's doing this but horrified that she has to.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:01 PM
Jan 3

I worked with her back in the 1980s.

BumRushDaShow

(149,922 posts)
17. Wow.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:05 PM
Jan 3

I love her "animated" editorial cartoons. People may have seen me post this one frequently -



I hope she is able to land somewhere where she will be appreciated.

boonecreek

(820 posts)
18. Way to go Ann! 😁
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:09 PM
Jan 3

I hope she doesn't have too hard a time finding a paper that doesn't mind her skewering Trump.

Aviation Pro

(14,133 posts)
19. That bald-headed fuck is going to rue the day he bent his fucking knee to Motherfucker
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:14 PM
Jan 3

In fact, the billionaire class is going to go through some things real soon.

TBF

(35,069 posts)
22. Congrats, Ann! I subscribed to the Boston Globe
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:27 PM
Jan 3

when I ended my Wash Post subscription (I used to live/work in Wash DC - I subscribed for decades).

But the Globe had a really cheap 6-month subscriber intro rate, and they endorsed both Kamala Harris and of course Elizabeth Warren. I read many stories from it daily now and really enjoy it! Maybe you could send them a story or two??

Pris

(99 posts)
25. I canceled when Bezos denied the editorial board their endorsement
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:35 PM
Jan 3

And I am happy to see Ms. Telanes leave that paper.

GoCubsGo

(33,676 posts)
29. One more reason she's one of my favorite political cartoonists.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 10:58 PM
Jan 3

I hope she lands somewhere much better.

COL Mustard

(7,313 posts)
31. Democracy Dies In Darkness on a Friday night.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 11:22 PM
Jan 3

What a loss for my hometown paper. It used to be so good. I guess I will have to stick with the NYT and Times of London for most of my news now. About the only thing the Post is good for is news about the Federal Government, and I can also get that elsewhere.

Thanks, Ann, for being a part of the editorial scene and for bringing entertaining and enlightening cartoons to us. Good luck with wherever you land. They will be lucky to have you.

SunSeeker

(55,315 posts)
32. Thank you, Ann Telnaes. Jeff Bezos must sell WaPo to someone who actually wants it to be a newspaper.
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 11:34 PM
Jan 3

WaPo right now is just a gutless vanity project enabling a fascist.

Katherine Graham is rolling in her grave.

JHB

(37,613 posts)
33. Well, if I hadn't already cancelled my subscription, this would have done it
Fri Jan 3, 2025, 11:36 PM
Jan 3

Access to A.T.'s cartoons was my main reason for subscribing in the first place.

electric_blue68

(20,599 posts)
34. Woah, I Thought that Name looked Familiar! Good Luck & TY, AnnTelnaes!
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 12:01 AM
Jan 4

And TY, Dennis D for the heads up.

When I had a 6 month a free or low cost subscription some years back I enjoyed her work.

Mike 03

(18,311 posts)
37. Outstanding. I've read that a number of WaPo writers are
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 06:35 AM
Jan 4

moving to The Atlantic.

Kicking for morning DUers who may have missed...



jayschool2013

(2,551 posts)
39. If you've canceled your Washington Post subscription
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 08:54 AM
Jan 4

and want to support journalism, may I politely suggest that your first dollar might go to your local news site, or a student-led news site at a local college or university.

National news is great, but there's also this warning from the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University:

In news deserts, Trump won in a landslide
But what does this election-result correlation mean?


by Paul Farhi and John Volk | volk_maps

Donald Trump won the 2024 election with one of the smallest popular-vote margins in U.S. history, but in news deserts – counties lacking a professional source of local news – it was an avalanche. Trump won 91% percent of these counties over his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, according to an analysis of voting data by Medill Journalism School’s State of Local News project.

While Trump’s national popular-vote margin was just under 1.5%, his margin in news deserts was massive. He won these counties by an average of 54 percentage points. In the few won by Harris, her margin was a comparatively slim 18 points, the analysis shows.

The findings are based on results from 193 of the 206 counties Medill has identified as news deserts, in states where county-level election results are currently available. The third annual State of Local News report, released by Medill’s Local News Initiative in October, documented the continuing decline of local news across the country, as measured by the number of newspapers, circulation, frequency of publication, employment and readership.

The report found that the highest concentration of counties with limited access to local news were in solidly “red” states, such as Texas, Kentucky, Arkansas, Idaho, Montana and Mississippi.

Paladin

(29,952 posts)
40. I've enjoyed her work for years. She's one of the very best.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 09:17 AM
Jan 4

Hope her career continues immediately, at a much more worthy venue. We are in serious need of her talents.

Lonestarblue

(12,488 posts)
41. Ann Telnaes is possibly the best editorial cartoonist. Her resignation is just one more reason to cancel WaPo.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 09:54 AM
Jan 4

The Post has very few decent opinion writers and journalists left. When they leave, Bezos will have succeeded in turning this once-great paper into a mouthpiece for Trump and his billionaires.

GiqueCee

(2,045 posts)
42. As a fellow cartoonist...
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 10:11 AM
Jan 4

... I greatly admire Ms. Telnaes work, and her stand against politically motivated censorship. I hope there's still a newspaper not owned and subverted by some oligarch's personal prejudices that will showcase her witty and insightful cartoons. I look forward to seeing more of her 'toons in a more supportive publication.

JohnSJ

(98,266 posts)
43. I cancelled my subscription to the Washington Post after Bezo blocked the WP endorsement of VP Harris. At the very
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 10:31 AM
Jan 4

least this is the beginning of a new McCarthy era, and at the very worst it is the end of our Democracy.

Either way it spells disaster for the country.


Kid Berwyn

(19,716 posts)
46. Truth is what keeps a Democracy.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 12:47 PM
Jan 4

Lies are what tyrants, especially the orange lard ass ones controlled by V Putin, need to hold power.

LetMyPeopleVote

(160,817 posts)
50. The Borowitz Report - Democracy Dies in Bezos
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 03:16 PM
Jan 4

I agree with Andy Borowitz. Bezos and the Washington Post have sold out on defending democracy
https://bsky.app/profile/sharyn420.bsky.social/post/3lewl5tndok2a




https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/democracy-dies-in-bezos
Ann Telnaes, Pulitzer-winning cartoonist for the Washington Post since 2008, quit the paper this week after her editor killed her cartoon depicting WaPo owner Jeff Bezos and other craven billionaires debasing themselves before Donald J. Trump.

This act of censorship, of course, isn’t an outlier: anticipatory obedience to fascism has risen ominously in recent months. It began with WaPo and the Los Angeles Times spiking endorsements of Kamala Harris, only to be outdone by Disney, who gifted Trump $15 million instead of fighting his flimsy defamation claim in court. Oh, and let’s not forget Joe and Mika’s humiliating field trip to Mar-a-Lago.

I don’t know Ms. Telnaes but I admire her work, integrity, and courage. I’m publishing the rough draft of her cartoon above in the hopes that you’ll share it. If enough people do, it will reach a larger audience than if her WaPo editor had had the cojones to run it. Actually, given how many subscribers have fled the paper in recent months, reaching a larger audience than the Washington Post isn’t a daunting task.

Love,
Andy

Uncle Joe

(61,225 posts)
51. One can't be owned and free at the same time
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 03:29 PM
Jan 4

The fewer the people who own more stuff, the more likely the rest become part of what's owned.

Thanks for the thread Dennis Donovan

Blue Owl

(55,767 posts)
52. I hope the WP goes bankrupt in 2025 never to be seen or heard from again
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 07:51 PM
Jan 4

And take the orange criminal piece of shit you normalized with you...

mountain grammy

(27,635 posts)
54. She's always had integrity. Her work is brilliant.
Sat Jan 4, 2025, 09:21 PM
Jan 4

I had the Post on auto renew until the Alito flag story. Couldn't believe they sat on that. removed auto remove. Subscription expired. Plenty of other news sources. Hoping to keep the Atlantic.

Kablooie

(18,869 posts)
55. The Streisand effect in full display.
Sun Jan 5, 2025, 10:44 PM
Jan 5

Because they wanted to bury it, it is now the most viewed political cartoon in the world.
And they also lost their star cartoonist.

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