NAACP Wants NY Post Editor Col Allan, Cartoonist Sean Delonas Fired

NEW YORK — The head of the NAACP on Saturday urged readers to boycott the New York Post, calling a cartoon that the newspaper published an invitation to assassinate President Barack Obama.

Benjamin Todd Jealous, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, called on the tabloid to remove editor-in-chief Col Allan, as well as longtime cartoonist Sean Delonas.

Earlier this week, the newspaper apologized to anyone who might have been offended by the image printed Wednesday, which some say likens Obama to a violent chimpanzee gunned down by police in Connecticut.

Jealous said the cartoon was "an invitation to assassination."

On Thursday, after protests by notable figures including director Spike Lee, the paper posted an editorial on its Web site saying the cartoon was meant to mock the federal economic stimulus bill, but "to those who were offended by the image, we apologize."

A spokeswoman for the newspaper referred The Associated Press to the paper's editorial when asked Saturday about the proposed NAACP boycott.

Jealous called the editorial "a half of an apology, without elaboration."

The drawing, he said, "picks off the scabs of all the racial wounds."

He spoke as the NAACP gathered for its annual meeting in New York, where it was founded a century ago.

NAACP officials said that if the Post does not take "serious disciplinary action," they would reach out to organizations across the country to join them in their efforts against the tabloid.

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond called the publication of the cartoon "thoughtlessness taken to the extreme. ... Anyone who is not offended by it does not have any sensitivity."

Comments

[Beyonder]

I thank the NAACP for their efforts to hold the media accountable to racially sensitive issues.

I wish the issue that sparked the outrage would have been more substantive. Obama did not author the stimulus bill and it's quite a stretch to link our intelligent, sophisticated, elegant, leader to a primate.

Unfortunately during this same period there has been an outbreak of real shootings of Black men, women and children by Blacks in the NY area, yet the focus remains on a fictitious primate. How ridiculous we've become.

[Beyonder]

I thanks fthe NAACP for theirr efforts to hold the media accountable to racially sensitive issues.

I wish the issue that sparked the outrage would have been more substantive. Obama did not author the stimulus bill and it's quite a stretch to link our intelligent, sophisticated, elegant, leader to a primate.

Unfortunately during this same period there has been an outbreak of real shootings of Black men, women and children by Blacks in the NY area, yet the focus remains on a fictitious primate. How ridiculous we've become.

[Slackjaw1]

Ya know I am all for the NAACP, but why does someone always have to lose their job over a mistake? An apology has been issued over and over. Why is it they don't give anyone a second chance?

[Janet Carter]

"mistake" -- EXCUSE me ! That was no "mistake." And quite frankly, the Secret Service should be visiting the NY Post immediately !

[AN2009]

NYT (02-22-09): "For years, Mr. Murdoch has stomached tens of millions of dollars in annual losses at the New York Post, in exchange for the power the paper afforded him."

I doubt Rupert Murdoch cares about the uproar, even though he should. Murdoch likes to do things his own way, even if that means he'll piss off a lot of people. It's just hubris. When he dies, his media empire will fall.

[starsnsea]

Benjamin Jealous is spot on in this response to the cartoon - I completely agree. As a white person who cares about how racism really hurts, their smirking, flaccid non-apology last week only insulted all concerned, and raised my ire further. The editor's racist decision and the blatantly horrifying invitation in the (crappy) cartoon are way beyond acceptable. Real consequences are called for now - Fire the editor and the cartoonist.

[AndThenOneDay]

By 'horrifying invitation' is your meaning that the cartoon is an invitation to violence? If yes, against whom? Did you see the chimp as a stand-in for the President? Pelosi?

You seem to draw a distinction between the 'racism' of the editor vs the 'invitation' in the cartoon? Are you? What reason would be given for the firing of the cartoonist in your view?

thx

[DCCommuter]

The cartoon was in bad taste and - worse - it wasn't funny.

It made light of assassinating people you disagree with.

I don't care if the Post fires the cartoonist or not. I just buy the Daily News now instead of the Post.

[AndThenOneDay]

Anyone hear how the paper did on the stands today?

[VA Lady2008]

Col Allan will eventually disappear, but NOT on account of the cartoon. I'm sure Mr. Murdoch doesn't give a rat's hind end about the cartoon, and possibly he even agrees with it. I have read elsewhere that he ordered the NYPost editorial board to issue a retraction, after people started demonstrating outside the NYPost offices, ostensibly to protect HIS PROPERTY.

This would not necessarily be the NYPost. Rupert Murdoch, owner of the "News Corp" controls a number of media outlets, including Fox News, Fox Sports, the NYPost, Wall Street Journal, NatGeo, FX, 20th Century Fox. To do so, he had to obtain something called a "cross over ownership waiver" from the FCC, back in the Clinton adminstration. There was considerable controversy about the waiver at the time; I believe both the Hispanic and African American communities in the NYC area protested.

This waiver can be cancelled, and if it is, he will be forced to divest himself of some or all of this property. Given the recession, generated in part by Rupert Murdoch's republican associates, he'll take a bath. In a way, I hope it happens, because it would be the ultimate irony for him to suffer that which he has help foist on the rest of us.

[kiran1207]

anytime there is a contraversary today, Limbaugh, Rupert Murdoch or some GOP is in the middle of it stirring the pot and making life worse for every american.

In the words of Republican Sessions of Texas: "we need to be more like the T@LIB@N "!!! yes he actually said that. Disgusting!

[popartusa]

Sounds like muslims ranting about pictures of Mohammed..­.talk about "sound and fury signifying nothing...­" but some folks sho nuff just like to get there knickers in a twist don't they....

[kiran1207]

first of all you are making a generalizatin that all muslims did this. This is the problem with people today they see everyone who is different as one large society and it's wrong. Not all muslims did this, most of them dont' care; it's the fundamentalists we need to worry about and that includes fundamentalist christians too, they aren't exactly that innocent.

And if you really want to argue how about those pro-lifers who bomb abortion clinics which ends up K@lling mothers and babies anyway, how is this ok??? explain conserv!!

[beenn15]

just ignore popartusa. All americans understand the complexity of race relations in the US. Popartusa isn't american and I'm not even sure he lives here in the US. So, I would suggest that he educates himself on the history of African Americans before making comparisons.
It's disturbing to even think that he has an opinion on something he knows nothing about.

[lastcallmd]

Au contraire, been. This the stereotypical, staged, kabuki dance response of the "black community" to anything they find, in their humble opinions and intrepretations, offensive. Suggestion--listen to the Washington DC black radio stations in the morning and do the reverse thing--substitute black folks for the white folks comments. So, lets get on with firing Travis Smilely, the idiots on WPGC at the same time we do the Post's people.

[Beyonder]

It’s no secret that New York City’s Black activist leadership has issues with the Murdoch news organization. Perhaps a more effective strategy to express outrage toward the cartoon would have been to criticize the Post for advocating the murder of an elected official as retribution for the current financial crises.

That the cartoon may provoke a trend of violent retaliation toward policy makers in response to failed fiscal leadership is sufficient reason to condemn it. Citizen’s in the town of West New York, New Jersey might be provoked to open fire on their town’s mayor in response to the new 23% annual property tax hike. New York City’s own fiscal crisis might prompt its Mayor Bloomberg for his own personal safety to discourage the publication of violent retribution cartoons.

Clearly the cartoon is in poor taste. My objection is to the immediate association by the offended parties, of the chimpanzee with our new President, and the assertion that the cartoon is in poor taste for its racial stereotype.

The question does remain however, that based on New York City’s recent history of government sponsored executions at the hands of its police department (notably Amadou Dialo and Sean Bell), how one of the city’s leading newspapers would have shown such poor judgement by depicting police officers in the role of assassins.

[Tenisha Anderson]

Answer this question: If the chimp was to represent "The Democrats" that signed the stimulus bill, wouldn't there have been more than just one chimp? Thus , defeating Sean Delonas and the NY Post Editor there excuse that the chimp image was not directed at Obama. I'm just saying.

[TommyJames1]

No.

They just had a cartoon abt the stimulus plan and a donkey represented the dems. Not 300 donkeys.

[AndThenOneDay]

The chimp belonged to a passing, strange episode in the region. The cartoonist -however you feel about the 'humor' of the cartoon- was using the known lunacy of the chimp to skewer the stimulus bill.

I honestly see no racist intent in all this, and I can't stand the Post. As there was but one chimp available, that's all the cartoon focuses on. Trying to extrapolate too far in any direction from a silly joke to reality isn't likely to yield satisfaction for you or more of a laugh for Mr. Delonas.

[tipone]

i like obama because he can be frank about things and lighten up about things that are frivolous. i like the fact that he can call himself a mutt. if someone else called him a mutt, we probably would have seen al sharpton there too. i feel like some people should get out of their own cocoon and be proud of who they are - why does it matter what others call you? i think the cartoon was a piece of crap that we all should have not paid attention to. nobody would have even noticed it if the race card wasnt thrown. there always are going to be bullies, and we can't get too sensitive over stupid bullies. we are better than that.

[AlliumSativum]

I agree that the people behind the NY Post are stupid bullies. And most of what they publish is crap. Unfortunately the NAACP are becoming just as bad, just on the other extreme.

[beenn15]

I disagree..­. Publications are there to inform, and they have a power that we, the people, don't have. They shape public opinion on social issues and policies. A lot of people count on their "expert" information gathering to decide on who to vote for and what to support. Whenever the publish anything subjective, their readers will have different interpretations on the issue. Now, given the history of race relations in this country, they were fully aware that people would understand the cartoon in many different ways. It was irresponsible of them to publish something that would obviously stir controversy. The suggestion in the cartoon is dangerous and there are people out there who are ready to act and if they trust NYP for sound information, they will act.

[AndThenOneDay]

In being chided about the cost of the presidential helicopter today Obama became playfully defensive saying he never had a helicopter before. We all need to take a cue from him and tone it down a notch.

[AndThenOneDay]

Interesting. The most-used analogy for the limits of 'free speech' is yelling fire in a theatre. You can't do this because you may provoke a disorderly and dangerous evacuation. People will not behave rationally.

It's a good analogy. The Post has tested the limits of free speech. Not because they care about free speech; they care about belittling democrats.

I continue to believe that it is not rational to make the rampaging a chimp in the cartoon a substitute for Obama or an incitement to violence. But that is a possible reaction. 'Fire' has been yelled. Now what?

Interesting.

[tipone]

i like your point. a lot.

[madatnewsmedia]

What I'm most afraid of is this; pictures like that doesn't help! I thought of how the crowds were so nasty towards the Presidential nominee at some of the rallies for McCain and Palin and I realized that it doesn't take much to rile up people who want to hate! As an african american woman, I just want the country to give him a fighting chance. He can't do any worse than the last 8 years. I am afraid sometimes that some of the crazy folks will take matters into their hands and try to hurt him. He has every right to be the president of the US! I thank all of the 69 million who voted for him!!!

[AndThenOneDay]

I appreciate your reply. While I don't want to regulate 'free speech' as such, I do think the editor acted irresponsibly. Depending on how the boycott goes, he may need a new job by the end of the week. The publisher -woe to conservatives world-wide- married a liberal. All heck is breaking loose at the Post.

I think the president is getting a fighting chance and is maintaining a historically high approval rating. I am likewise worried about loons and an angry out-of-business minority whose party has become a non-factor in politics.

[MsDebate]

Madatnewsmedia you have a very good sound of reasoning, evil is subtle so you have to be on your toes at all times.

[mamacat]

That cartoon was a national disgrace.

[kiran1207]

dont forget so was "W" the messiah!!

[Daly]

NAACP would be better served making sure that funds that the states might get are equitably distributed to ALL. Help educate folks about finances and mortgages; Obama - a really educated guy can fin for himself in this instance.

Might be a good idea to get some diversity employed at the NY paper rather than trying to get a guy fired.