Times excuses for publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon

The New York Times apologized Sunday for a caricature published in the Opinion pages of its international edition which denounced a widespread condemnation for its anti-Semitism.

The caricature, published Thursday in the printed newspaper, portrayed blind President Trump, wearing a cap, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, drawn as a dog on a leash with a Star of David necklace.

"The picture was shocking and it was a misjudgment to publish it," the New York Times said in a statement. Editor's note which will be published in the international edition of Monday.

Eileen Murphy, a spokeswoman for the New York Times, said the newspaper was "deeply sorry" for publishing the cartoon.

"Such images are still dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is rising worldwide, it's all the more unacceptable," Murphy said in a statement. a statement on behalf of the Opinion section. "We are determined to ensure that nothing like this happens again."

The caricature has attracted hundreds of critical comments from people around the world. The Jerusalem Post, the Times of Israel, CNN, Fox News and others have published articles on drawing.

"Apologies are not accepted", the American Jewish Committee m said in response to the Times editor's note. "What does that say about your processes or your decision makers? How do you go about it?

The cartoon was drawn by the Portuguese cartoonist António Moreira Antunes and was originally published by Expresso, a Lisbon newspaper. It was later taken over by CartoonArts International, a syndicate of cartoonists from around the world.

The New York Times licensing group sells content from CartoonArts and other publishers, as well as New York Times material to news sites and other customers.

The US edition of the Times does not usually publish political cartoons and has not been directed by it, but the international edition frequently includes them. An editor of the Times Opinion section has uploaded Mr. Antunes' drawing to the union and made the decision to publish it, according to Murphy.

Ms. Murphy refused to identify the editor, who she said was "working without adequate supervision" due to a "flawed process" being reviewed.

"We evaluate our internal processes and our training," Murphy said. "We anticipate significant changes."

James Bennet, the editor who oversees all the content of the Times' editorial pages, declined to comment in detail. "I will let our statement speak for us at this point," said Mr. Bennet.

Bret Stephens, opinion columnist for the Times, wrote on the subject Sunday and invited the newspaper to conduct a "serious reflection on how to publish this cartoon", which he described as "an amazing act of ignorance of anti-Semitism." ".

And Vice President Mike Pence tweeted Sunday, "We stand with Israel and we condemn anti-Semitism in ALL its forms."

Sergio Florez, editor of the Times license group, said the group had captured at least 30 caricatures a week from CartoonArts via an automated feed to its website, allowing publishers to view cartoons and buy a license. to reproduce them. The group's writers sporadically examine food and eliminate biased or racist work, he said.

"If we had seen this cartoon during one of these operations, we would certainly have withdrawn it," said Florez. The drawing has been removed from the license group's collection, he said.

Nancy Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Licensing Group, said the group would reconsider its agreement with CartoonArts.

The licensing agreement between The Times and The Times goes back decades, said Ms. Lee. CartoonArts, based in New York, was founded in 1978 by cartoonist Jerry Robinson with the goal of presenting global cartoons to a wider audience. He is now led by his son, Jens Robinson.

"We receive and post caricatures from around the world from all political stripes," Robinson said by e-mail. "The caricature in question was considered a political comment. However, we understand the decision to remove it from the website. "

Expresso, the Portuguese newspaper, did not respond to requests for comment and Mr Antunes could not be reached. Since 1974, he is a regular draftsman for the newspaper. an online biography.