By J.R. Labbe
jrlabbe@star-telegram.com
The use of caricatures and allusions to make political statements has been around at least since Martin Luther used wood carvings to contrast Jesus driving the money-changers from the temple with the pope writing indulgences while parishioners paid money in tribute.
Benjamin Franklin's "Join, or Die" image of a snake with severed parts representing the British colonies is considered the first political cartoon in American history.
Editorial cartoons, a staple of U.S. newspapers, provide visual imagery to express often biting opinions.
Controversy fuels the creative juices of many political cartoonists, who generally don't factor fairness into the equation when putting sharply pointed pens to paper.
Garry Trudeau, creator of
Doonesbury, is a master of political satire who doesn't shy away from viscerally emotional issues. He found fertile ground in Texas' pre-termination sonogram law.
Editorial page editors nationwide wrestled with the decision to publish some, all or none of Trudeau's six cartoons this week. E-mail exchanges among members of the Association of Opinion Journalists (formerly the National Conference of Editorial Writers) revealed that the internal consternation at the
Star-Telegram wasn't just a function of being in Texas, whose governor is referenced in the series of strips that feature a woman who goes to an abortion clinic.
The
Star-Telegram's decision to substitute this week's
Doonesbury was not made lightly or without extensive debate. As one of two people to make the final call, I think we owe it to readers to explain our course of action.
The Editorial Board is not "afraid," as some readers say, of discussing abortion. We published two editorials critical of the mandatory sonogram bill before its passage in 2011 by the Texas Legislature -- "'Sonogram bill' provisions add tension to debate" on Jan. 27, 2011, and "Mandatory sonograms would only increase abortion's difficulties" on Feb. 26, 2011. Additionally, our opinion pages included staff- and guest-written columns and letters to the editor on the issue throughout the legislative session.
The reason for not printing the strip has nothing to do with left- or right-wing politics. It has everything to do with civility and consistency.
On Wednesday we published an editorial taking to task radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh for his crass language about Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student who testified before Congress about health insurance coverage for contraceptives. Trudeau's language, accompanied by graphic images, is equally crude.
Strong, passionate arguments can be made about public policies without crossing the line that both these men leaped over. And if the day comes that the debate about abortion is decided by which side's images are the most graphic, the pro-life folks will prevail.
This is not the first time a
Star-Telegram editorial director has made the decision not to publish inappropriate material. My predecessor did it routinely when columnist Molly Ivins, may she rest in peace, was on the staff. The columns Ivins submitted were often riddled with language unsuitable for a mass-audience newspaper. Her original work went out on the wire for use by alternative papers along with a sanitized "family friendly" version, which is what the
Star-Telegram published.
Even those were too colorful for many readers, proving people have different tolerances for what's acceptable and what's offensive.
Readers may view the Trudeau strips through a link at
star-telegram.com/opinions.
Jill "J.R." Labbe is editorial director of the Star-Telegram. 817-390-7599Twitter: @jrlabbe55
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