The New York Times has said it will stop publishing political cartoons, six weeks after an image of a blind, kippah-wearing Donald Trump being led by a dog with the head of Bibi Netanyahu appeared in the paper. The cartoon was rightly condemned and an apology swiftly issued. But scrapping cartoons for good – and parting ways with two of its long-time cartoonists, neither of whom drew the offending image – is a step too far. The paper’s bungled campaign against Donald Trump shows why.
Since Trump first emerged as a candidate for the presidency, the NYT has railed against him for all manner of sins, from his womanising to his apparent bid to undermine press freedom. Trump is depicted as one thing: a thin-skinned, narcissistic racist. There is little humour in this depiction, only a continuous stream of outrage.
Yet where is the attempt to poke fun at Trump? Cartoon-style satire – helped along by the evolution of internet memes – has never been more popular.
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