Rob Rogers: I Was Fired for Making Fun of Trump

[Miles Archer]

Ted St. Godard
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This got the cartoonist fired. Share it.

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Rob Rogers
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I Was Fired for Making Fun of Trump

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I Was Fired for Making Fun of Trump

By Rob Rogers
Mr. Rogers joined The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as an editorial cartoonist in 1993. He worked there until this week. In 1999, he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

June 15, 2018



https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/opinion/cartoonist-rob-rogers-trump-fired.html

I should’ve seen it coming. When I had lunch with my new boss a few months ago, he informed me that the paper’s publisher believed that the editorial cartoonist was akin to an editorial writer, and that his views should reflect the philosophy of the newspaper.

I was trained in a tradition in which editorial cartoonists are the live wires of a publication — as one former colleague put it, the “constant irritant.” Our job is to provoke readers in a way words alone can’t. Cartoonists are not illustrators for a publisher’s politics.

When I was hired in 1993, The Post-Gazette was the liberal newspaper in town, but it always prided itself on being a forum for a lot of divergent ideas. The change in the paper did not happen overnight. From what I remember, it started in 2011, with the endorsement of the Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, which shocked a majority of our readership. The next big moment happened in late 2015, when my longtime boss, the editorial page editor, took a buyout after the publisher indicated that the paper might endorse Mr. Trump. Then, early this year, we published openly racist editorials.

Things really changed for me in March, when management decided that my cartoons about the president were “too angry” and said I was “obsessed with Trump.” This about a president who has declared the free press one of the greatest threats to our country.

[DeminPennswoods]

1. John Jr and Allan Block

have completely wrecked the PG's editorial page. It now reflects the extreme rw ideology of both. Their father, John Block, Sr, must be rolling in his grave.

[lunasun]

2. Censored . Must respect leader !! Hail trumpo

[scarletwoman]

3. This is NOT acceptable!

Free speech? Free Press? Free country? Do we just stand by and let the Deplorables take over everything?

[question everything]

6. Some newspaers "compromise" keep the biting in-house one

who won a Pulitzer some years back, but on a once or twice a week they use the nasty Ramirez, or Lisa Benson..

[Rhiannon12866]

4. A political cartoonist drawing political cartoons?? Since when is this a firing offense?!

[syringis]

7. Hi Rhiannon, how are you ?

Since we live in Trump era...

This is the sole acceptable standard :

[Rhiannon12866]

8. Hello, my friend! At least this interminable week is over!

And I knew that woman looked familiar! She was just on with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday!

How North Korea Is Reporting The Summit

Here's how North Korea's state-sponsored media is reporting the historic summit.

[murielm99]

5. Long time readers should write angry letters.

If they don't get published in that paper, find another outlet. Cancel subscriptions and make sure they know why.

[babydollhead]

9. Kick