What's the tagline of The Washington Post again?
Oh, that's right: 'Democracy dies in darkness.'
But WaPo decided there are just some things that are better left in the darkness. Like an accurate political cartoon about Hamas.
The Washington Post & editor @SallyBuzbee caved to staff pressure to remove an anodyne cartoon accurately depicting Hamas’s use of human shields for being “racist,” according to emails obtained by @FreeBeacon.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
Story is here & quick 🧵to break it down ⤵️ https://t.co/fNuvNW0OKq
Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of the Washington Post, sent an email to staff members on Wednesday night acknowledging their "many deep concerns and conversations" about a cartoon criticizing Hamas that the newspaper earlier in the day published and then deleted.
In the email, obtained by the Washington Free Beacon, Buzbee wrote:
Dear colleagues,
Given the many deep concerns and conversations today in our newsroom, I wanted to ensure everyone saw the notes sent out tonight by The Post's opinions editor, David Shipley, to Post readers and to his staff in opinions.
My best, Sally
Buzbee forwarded an email that Shipley had sent opinions staff in which he said he had personally "taken down" the cartoon. Shipley included the full text of an editor's note in which he publicly expressed "regret" that he had "missed something profound, and divisive" in publishing the image.
"A cartoon published by Michael Ramirez on the war in Gaza, a cartoon whose publication I approved, was seen by many readers as racist. This was not my intent. I saw the drawing as a caricature of a specific individual, the Hamas spokesperson, who celebrated the attacks on unarmed civilians in Israel," Shipley wrote.
The cartoon depicted an individual, labeled "Hamas," with children, a baby, and a woman strapped to his body. "How dare Israel attack civilians...," the man said in a speech bubble.
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As Drew said, the cartoon was anodyne.
The cartoon depicted a man labeled “Hamas” with a woman and children strapped to him, asking “How dare Israel attack civilians…” pic.twitter.com/mOB6wt4DQf
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
No lies detected.
@washingtonpost has engaged in a struggle session about the cartoon since yesterday, including the self-flagellating posting of criticisms from their readers, many of whom really seem to dislike Israel. pic.twitter.com/rDX9yO3J0v
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
Really speaking truth to power there, WaPo.
Their opinion editor @davidjshipley claimed that he had missed something “profound” and “divisive” in posting the cartoon.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
But the suggestion in the cartoon is accurate. pic.twitter.com/s7chh2J4gD
The cartoon is 100% accurate. Hamas is known for using civilian shields.
Pointing this out is not racist.
Hamas has a long history of using women and children as human shields in Gaza, as the Biden admin has said repeatedly.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
Is pointing that out dehumanizing? Perhaps the anger would be better directed at Hamas for using Gazans as human shields? pic.twitter.com/prIFEobyWy
See? Even the Biden administration acknowledges this fact.
Even @washingtonpost has covered how Hamas uses human shields (per Biden) and prevents civilians from leaving Gaza/Gaza City in the Post’s otherwise ridiculous coverage of the conflict.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
It isn’t really a matter of dispute. pic.twitter.com/rKZ13vYohI
And so has WaPo itself!
What changed now?
And the underlying racism charge is preposterous. Even a cursory look back at cartoons from Michael Ramirez, a Pulitzer Prize winner, who created the cartoon shows that exaggerated facial expressions are a standby.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
He is, after all, a cartoonist. pic.twitter.com/lfp2AxzZaH
Nothing about that cartoon was racist.
As an aside, this is from the same outlet who’s Global Opinions editor @KarenAttiah (and other staffers) has been actually racist online…against Jews and Israelis. pic.twitter.com/nvlaX5GPMs
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
But that, somehow, is okay and acceptable at WaPo?
Is it any wonder that the media’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas conflict has been so suspect? https://t.co/aObdUZlvUt
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 9, 2023
Very suspect.
Quick point of clarification. @davidjshipley, as opinion editor, made the call on pulling the comic. @SallyBuzbee, on the news side, shared that decision affirmatively with her staff — I could’ve been more precise up top.
— Drew Holden (@DrewHolden360) November 10, 2023
In any case, a capitulation to the mob on all sides.
And a point of clarification, but still a capitulation, as Holden says.
Let the word go forth, for the woke have spoken: terrorist groups using human shields is not problematic. But making fun of terrorist groups using human shields is deeply problematic. https://t.co/l1v7NDcvPR
— Noah Pollak (@NoahPollak) November 9, 2023
Just like the Biden administration's focus on Islamophobia despite a sharp rise in antisemitism.
"See? Right there. He did a racism." https://t.co/tWmWCmZlRo pic.twitter.com/6WAMkAbUj3
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) November 9, 2023
And we can't have that.
It’s only racist *if you think all Palestinian Arabs are lacking in morals like Hamas* https://t.co/aIV1f9sSvP
— Son of Dr. Spengler (unintentional self-parody) (@spengjr) November 10, 2023
The Left always ends up being the racists, even when they say they aren't.
Racism = accusing Hamas of doing exactly what they’re doing.
— Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) November 9, 2023
Resistance = killing all the Jews. https://t.co/XX0OmZrPRf
Orwell would be proud of WaPo
Truth dies at the Washington Post. https://t.co/9bEslngI5J
— 1967mustangman (@1967mustangman) November 10, 2023
Yes it does.
Reminder: you don't despise the mainstream media enough. Not nearly enough.
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