Stand with Ann

Let's hope we're all not trampled by the oligarchs

This cartoon was originally published on Pepperspectives. Click here to subscribe to Pepperspectives, where you’ll learn about the continuing threats to our democracy and the actions you can take to help safeguard it.

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Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes quit her job at The Washington Post last week after the newspaper killed one of her cartoons in its rough sketch stage. The cartoon showed various media moguls, including WaPo owner Jeff Bezos, kowtowing to their Mar-a-Lago master.

The Post’s slogan, printed on the front page of the paper, is “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” What hypocritical bullshit. The paper once famed for Herblock’s scathing cartoons of Richard Nixon and “Woodstein’s” investigation into the Watergate break in has already flipped the switch. Bezos killed WaPo’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris just days before the election as a way to curry favor with Trump.

We’re in a dangerous time. Oligarchs such as Bezos, Musk, and Zuckerberg control the flow of information and the spread of misinformation. That’s why we need fearless voices such as Ann’s.

In the wake of Ann’s resignation, the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) asked cartoonists around the world to “finish” Ann’s now infamous rough sketch in their own style and post it in solidarity. The above is my go at it. There are too many other Ann-inspired sketches out there to post here, but a quick search on Substack, Google, or your preferred social media platforms will bring them up. Go find them, and support your local (or non-local) editorial cartoonists. We need all the help we can get.

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