Before I even begin, I want everyone to know that this post is less of a "What NOT to do in PR" and more of a "I'm completely outraged."
On Wednesday, February 18, 2009, I was on my way back to work. I had the radio up, listening to the Michael Baisden show on 96.1 JAMZ. The major subject of the show (the reason Baisden showed up to work, even though he was ill) was the editorial cartoon that appeared in the New York Post on the same day. If you're unfamiliar with the cartoon I am referring to, simply Google "NY Post cartoon" and the image will be the first result.
The cartoon is of two police officers standing over a monkey who has been shot to death. The officer's gun is smoking and the monkey is lying in a pool of its own blood, with two visible bullet holes . The cartoon reads "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
Really? It's 2009, we have a black president and one of the world's leading newspapers allows its editorial cartoonist to publish racist material. What's worse is that the New York Post is defending the cartoon, saying "the cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event," (referring to the Connecticut woman who was recently mauled by a Chimpanzee).
Talk about bad publicity. The New York Post should have IMMEDIATELY issued an apology and the cartoonist should go draw somewhere else. I expect so much more from such a prominent newspaper.
-Gearey McLeod
On Wednesday, February 18, 2009, I was on my way back to work. I had the radio up, listening to the Michael Baisden show on 96.1 JAMZ. The major subject of the show (the reason Baisden showed up to work, even though he was ill) was the editorial cartoon that appeared in the New York Post on the same day. If you're unfamiliar with the cartoon I am referring to, simply Google "NY Post cartoon" and the image will be the first result.
The cartoon is of two police officers standing over a monkey who has been shot to death. The officer's gun is smoking and the monkey is lying in a pool of its own blood, with two visible bullet holes . The cartoon reads "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
Really? It's 2009, we have a black president and one of the world's leading newspapers allows its editorial cartoonist to publish racist material. What's worse is that the New York Post is defending the cartoon, saying "the cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event," (referring to the Connecticut woman who was recently mauled by a Chimpanzee).
Talk about bad publicity. The New York Post should have IMMEDIATELY issued an apology and the cartoonist should go draw somewhere else. I expect so much more from such a prominent newspaper.
-Gearey McLeod
