Subscribe to my Feed
« How will the next President conduct terrorism surveillance? | Home | How ethical is “gotcha” journalism? »
Should “New Yorker” magazine apologize to the Obamas?
By Lauren | July 14, 2008
This week’s New Yorker magazine cover, a cartoon depicting Presidential candidate Barack Obama in Muslim robes and his wife, Michelle, as a gun-toting terrorist, may have been intended as a satire, but the joke fell horribly flat. The cartoon is titled “The Politics of Fear” and, according to the New Yorker, “combines a number of fantastical images of the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions that they are.” And the images are there, all right - just about every ugly lie that has been told about Senator Obama is captured in the cartoon one way or another.
The New Yorker may think the cartoon was harmless satire, but Senator Obama sees things very differently. His campaign has called the cover “tasteless and offensive.” (Incidentally, Senator McCain agrees.) So the question arises: if no offense was intended by the New Yorker but Senator Obama was nonetheless upset, should the New Yorker apologize?
You bet.
I believe that the New Yorker was legitimately trying to point out how absurd and hateful the rumors swirling around the Obamas have become. But this situation demonstrates how easy it is for satire to backfire. (And there are no “ifs” here - whatever the intentions of the New Yorker management were, Senator Obama was insulted and his wife probably was, too.) When it comes to apologies, good intentions may explain a mistake, but they don’t excuse it. Even if the New Yorker meant no harm, an apology to the Obamas is clearly in order.
Topics: Apologies, Business Ethics, Presidential Campaign, business communications |
July 14th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
I think the New Yorker cover is horribly offensive. Not only should they apologize they should do it on their cover and on every cover of every newspaper. I am very close to cancelling my subscription!!Simply outrageous……….this was no accident!!
July 15th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Hi Rita,
Welcome to my blog, and thanks for writing in. I thought it was awful too, and can’t believe how stubborn the editor of the “New Yorker” is being about it. Whatever the magazine’s intent may have been, the effect was offensive. Better to apologize and move on than to continue clinging to an obvious blunder.
Lauren
July 15th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
To Every Last New Yorker Employee,
I am disgusted, hurt, insulted, and disheartened by the lame excuse for satire that reared its hideous face today on the cover of your magazine. Have sales been declining? Are you really all that racist? Have you any idea what you have just done to the mentalities and sentiments of those who have for years been afraid of and intimidated by this country’s political process? Perhaps that notion is what motivated you to publish the sick, sad, lack of artistic expression that you have shoved into the sight and minds of those innocently trying to make an honest effort to learn about and understand the political process. The New Yorker has foolishly mistaken the true meaning of free speech; evidenced by your excuse for publishing the cover as is. While I am sure you are aware of the impact it will have on this year’s political process and the persons of African decent that were considering participating in it, allow me to take a moment to explain to you why so many Americans are upset and hurt by your latest publication. You see, this is not the first (and probably not the last) destructive, fear motivated depiction of us as a people. For years, we have been depicted as monkeys, terrorists, drug addicts, sex-crazed, and much, much more. Images of us have long been used to scare white people away from supporting dialogue about issues pertaining to us and the candidates that dare to bring them to the forefront. For even longer, media has done the same to insure that there is an imprint in the minds and souls of Black people reminding us that we really have no place in your society/politics. How sick of you to even consider such an illustration. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. In fact, the person who drew the image should step down IMMEDIATELY. I am a 23 year-old African American recent college graduate who, for the first time is excited about this country’s political process. I expected people to attempt to reopen the wounds left by slavery, jim crow, the civil rights, movement, and just the basic every day mistreatment and degradation brought about by such entities as yourselves, but never did I expect this. I was in tears the minute I saw this on the news. I don’t read your publication, never have, and never will; yet somehow I have been exposed to your garbage. I sure hope this isn’t your attempt at marketing your tasteless magazine. Even if this were honestly your attempt at satire, it is proof of the racism that exists within your hearts and proof that when it comes to intelligently bringing the politics of race to the mainstream of political discussions, you made a deliberate attempt to do so at the expense of black people. What a sad day this is for America .
From the heart,
Destiny Thomas
Oakland , CA
July 16th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Lauren,
I am not sufficiently familiar with ‘The New Yorker’ to comment on whether they were trying to make a legitimate point or whether this was a cheap way to stir up controversy, so I’ll have to defer to your more informed judgment on that issue.
Certainly, from your description above, it sound as though the article was offensive and they should most certainly apologize.
Whilst I can appreciate some form of humor and political commentary in newspaper cartoons, I have disdain for media outlets who use such cartoons to take cheap shots. The Danish cartoons of the Islamic prophet Muhammad a year or two back were a prime example. They served little or no editorial value and were understandably very highly offensive to Muslims. The newspapers concerned should have most definitely apologized to all Muslims in that instance, but were too stubborn to do so.
Cheers
Andrew
July 16th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Hello Destiny,
Thank you for writing in, and for your heartfelt comments on the “New Yorker” magazine cover. I’m so very sorry for the pain you’re feeling, and can only hope that the editors of the “New Yorker” recognize what a mistake they’ve made.
I hope you haven’t entirely lost your excitement about the electoral process. Getting racism out of American politics is long overdue, and we need every intelligent, passionate, thoughtful person we can get to help make that happen.
Lauren