Renowned Washington Post Cartoonist Quits After Refusal to Publish Critique of Jeff Bezos
Censored cartoon and Ann Telnaes
(Substack)
Common Dreams Staff
Jan 04, 2025
Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Ann Telnaes has resigned from the Washington Post, where she has worked since 2008, due to what she claims was editorial interference.
Telnaes claimed an editor at the paper killed her draft cartoon depicting Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos and other billionaire tech and media chief executives groveling on their knees at the feet of President-elect Donald Trump.
Along with Bezos, Telnaes depicted Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman bringing Trump sacks of cash. Los Angeles Times owner and billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong was shown with a tube of lipstick.
In a post to her Substack, Telnaes wrote:
“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.”
"As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job. So I have decided to leave the Post. I doubt my decision will cause much of a stir and that it will be dismissed because I’m just a cartoonist. But I will not stop holding truth to power through my cartooning because, as they say, “Democracy dies in darkness.”
Over three hundred thousand people canceled their digital subscriptions after Jeff Bezos decided to squash a Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris in October.
Matthew Chapman
January 3, 2025
RAW STORY
The Washington Post website. (Photo credit: Dennis Diatel / Shutterstock)
A political cartoonist for The Washington Post is quitting her job — and posted an explanation on Substack accusing the paper of censoring her mockery of billionaires, including the paper's owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
"I’ve worked for the Washington Post since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist," wrote Ann Telnaes. "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 depicted a group of wealthy corporate executives making a religious-like offering of money to a hulking shrine of Trump.
"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," she noted.
"As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable," Telnaes concluded. "For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job. So I have decided to leave the Post. I doubt my decision will cause much of a stir and that it will be dismissed because I’m just a cartoonist. But I will not stop holding truth to power through my cartooning, because as they say, 'Democracy dies in darkness.'"
Her resignation comes amid controversy over Bezos stepping in to block the Post's editorial board from publishing a planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris — which led to a flurry of subscription cancelations and the resignation of several members of the editorial board.
Bezos has fiercely defended his decision to intervene against an endorsement, claiming that political endorsements by newspapers undermine public trust in the media.
However, journalism experts argue Bezos doesn't really grasp the nature of newspaper endorsements; editorial boards publish opinion content by definition and are separate from the newsroom. Furthermore, endorsements involve interviewing candidates and informing readers how they responded to various policy and record questions, so they work to inform readers about where candidates stand on the issues.
The Washington Post website. (Photo credit: Dennis Diatel / Shutterstock)
A political cartoonist for The Washington Post is quitting her job — and posted an explanation on Substack accusing the paper of censoring her mockery of billionaires, including the paper's owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
"I’ve worked for the Washington Post since 2008 as an editorial cartoonist," wrote Ann Telnaes. "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 depicted a group of wealthy corporate executives making a religious-like offering of money to a hulking shrine of Trump.
"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," she noted.
"As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable," Telnaes concluded. "For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job. So I have decided to leave the Post. I doubt my decision will cause much of a stir and that it will be dismissed because I’m just a cartoonist. But I will not stop holding truth to power through my cartooning, because as they say, 'Democracy dies in darkness.'"
Her resignation comes amid controversy over Bezos stepping in to block the Post's editorial board from publishing a planned endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris — which led to a flurry of subscription cancelations and the resignation of several members of the editorial board.
Bezos has fiercely defended his decision to intervene against an endorsement, claiming that political endorsements by newspapers undermine public trust in the media.
However, journalism experts argue Bezos doesn't really grasp the nature of newspaper endorsements; editorial boards publish opinion content by definition and are separate from the newsroom. Furthermore, endorsements involve interviewing candidates and informing readers how they responded to various policy and record questions, so they work to inform readers about where candidates stand on the issues.
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