Cartoon causes a ruckus
A number of readers were ticked off by an editorial cartoon published Thursday that made fun of Fox news, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and town hall meetings.
Several readers said they were offended and were considering cancelling their subscriptions.
We try for a mix of cartoons on the page, both right and left, but some readers were especially piqued by this image, drawn by Chris Britt, who is a syndicated cartoonist.
You can view it here: http://www.lodinews.com/opinion/political_cartoons/chris_britt/
Choosing cartoons and columns can be a perilous task. We know most of our readers are conservative, but some are liberal. We want to provide a balance of viewpoints in both columns and cartoons.
We don’t intend to inflame readers, but this cartoon obviously did.
So: How do we provide a diverse and engaging page without inflaming readers?
Is that even possible?
(Not long ago, we heard from a reader who said our page was too conservative. He, too, threatened to cancel his subscription.)
I’d be interested in your thoughts on this particular cartoon — and our guiding philosophy of trying to provide a balanced blend on our editorial page.
I was both surprised (that the LNS published the cartoon)and amused by the Britt portrait of current right wing voices. Of course, I agree with the content entirely. I even had to feel a little sorry for the elephant.
Even more fitting was that the cartoon appeared right below Thomas Sowles’ commentary. I used to read Sowle, but find little of interest lately. His picture could have been in a frame. His saving grace is that he masquerades as an academic.
So throw us left-lending, no-longer-republican people a crumb now and then. I won’t cancel my subscription either way. I have the Sacramento Bee to read also.
Hi Guy’s, I took the Fox News cartoon the same way I take a cartoon that goes against my Political beliefs. It’s exaggerated satire with sometimes much truth and other times not, depending on who’s reading it. My problem with Your Opinion page is only when it becomes an echo-chamber for the Right. And please don’t get me wrong…I would not enjoy an echo-chamber for the Left. If we can just try to balance it out with LTE, Column writers, and cartoons it will always give the reader a chance to ponder the other side of an issue. Someone like me, that considers himself to be Left-Center on most issues or even someone who is further Left have options living here in Lodi. We can buy the Record or the Sac Bee if we want more balance or Left leaning Commentary and still go to the LNS web site for any Local stories or happenings. The folks on the Right that live here in Lodi won’t switch papers for balance because they don’t want it. I think You Guy’s are on to something with more balance. Thank You.
The ire and inability to poke fun at ourselves will only grow as news markets get more and more “right” and “left” and community outlets like LNS get squeezed out of the market.
Come on people, LNS has been around for more than 100 years. Do you seriously think it would have made it this long in a town like Lodi if it were a mouthpiece of radical conservatism or liberal propaganda machine? It’s survived by trying to maintain a balance. Sometimes it may seem less successful at acheiving this balance than others.
Threatening to cancel subscriptions because the tide is high instead of low at one particular moment is pretty childish, especially when it was high tide yesterday and will be again soon.
My bigger concern is that most of us turn away from community journalism and to national, polarized outlets and then mistake those messages, warped for effect, as the truth. Do we seriously want Jon Stewart and Glenn Beck controlling everything we think about American politics?
As a conservative I wasn’t at all offended by the cartoon - after all, it’s a cartoon!! Clearly it was directed at the politics behind the individuals and organizations represented by the artist/satirist. In order to read the OP/ED pages of any newspaper, readers need to have relatively thick skin or they’re going to find themselves distraught on a near daily basis. As long as what is written and/or lampooned through caricatures represents the political climate, I say keep it up. Anything that is presented in a respectful and civil fashion to cause us to think should be celebrated; not eliminated.
However, the hatred and vitriol that has visited us through the comments section of the News-Sentinel is often beyond the pale. Participants who lower the discourse to personal attacks and smear tactics against those who are only offering their opinions civilly and respectfully (albeit forcefully) need to be reminded of the rules that apply each time they click on the “Post Comment” button.
Everything considered, I think the News-Sentinel is doing a great job putting forth differing opinions from its readers. Keeping it civil and not taking ourselves too seriously should alleviate the majority of the problems that occurred in the past.
The cartoon was not offensive in my view, just another opinion. What I would appreciate is for the LNS to help its readers sort out facts from opinions. So many of the “news” outlets that locals view provide very little information and are really just left or right propaganda. The opinions printed on your editorial page are no different. How about printing the facts about the healthcare proposals? Democracy is dependent on the public having ready access to nonbiased news. Please step up and provide the facts for your subscribers.
Cartoonists are a filthy lot. They shouldn’t be let anywhere near an opinion page!
While I disagreed with the cartoon’s political bent, I was not insulted. That’s the price you pay these days for being a conservative in a liberal nation.