Ann Telnaes, a prominent editorial cartoonist for The Washington Post, announced her departure from the publication after one of her cartoons was rejected. The cartoon in question depicted Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and other billionaires kneeling in front of President-elect Donald Trump’s statue.
Telnaes stated that the idea behind the cartoon was to criticize billionaire tech and media executives who she believed were currying favor with Trump. The cartoon also featured Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, and Walt Disney mascot Mickey Mouse.
In a Substack post, Telnaes expressed her disappointment, saying that the Post’s decision to reject the cartoon was “a game changer” for a free press. She claimed that her editor prevented her from criticizing powerful people and institutions, which is her job as an editorial cartoonist.
The Post’s opinions editor, David Shipley, disagreed with Telnaes’ interpretation of events, stating that his decision was guided by the fact that the newspaper had already published a column on the same topic and had scheduled another satirical piece for publication.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/washington-post-ann-telnaes-cartoonist-quits-bezos-cartoon-killed-2025-1