WASHINGTON, DC – Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned from the Washington Post earlier this month, alleging her editorial independence was compromised when the newspaper killed her sketch critiquing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Republican President-elect Donald Trump.
The HuffPost reported Telnaes announced her resignation on Substack, stating the incident marks the first time her work was rejected due to its commentary.
Telnaes, who has been with the Post since 2008, shared a rough draft of the cartoon that depicted Bezos, alongside other powerful figures such as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, bowing and offering money to a figure resembling Trump, wrote the HuffPost.
The HuffPost wrote the sketch criticized tech and media moguls who, according to Telnaes, are “currying favor” with the incoming president.
The HuffPost quoted Telnaes, who wrote, “My job as an editorial cartoonist is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job. That’s a game changer…and dangerous for a free press.”
Washington Post editorial page editor David Shipley disputed Telnaes’ characterization, stating the rejection was not due to bias but to avoid redundancy, reported the HuffPost.
“We had just published a column on the same topic as the cartoon and had another satire scheduled for publication,” Shipley explained. “The only bias was against repetition.”
The HuffPost noted Telnaes’ resignation follows controversy surrounding the Post’s decision not to endorse a candidate in the last presidential election. Reports suggest that an editorial endorsing Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris was scrapped after Bezos’ review.
This deviation from the Post’s tradition of endorsements reportedly led to subscriber loss and staff resignations. Despite the backlash, the HuffPost reported Bezos defended the decision, stating it was “the right choice.”
The HuffPost story stated Telnaes has long championed the role of editorial cartoonists as watchdogs of democracy, referencing a 2019 visual essay where she likened them to “democracy’s canary in a coal mine.”
Telnaes, the HuffPost wrote, ended her announcement with a pointed reference to the Post’s slogan: “Democracy dies in darkness,” adding, “I doubt my decision will cause much of a stir, But I will not stop holding truth to power through my cartooning.”
The Huff Post opined Telnaes’ resignation reignites debates over editorial independence and the role of media in holding powerful figures accountable, underscoring the challenges faced by journalists in an increasingly polarized landscape.
