'New York Post' Editor Defends Dead-Chimp Cartoon

By: Joe Strupp New York Post Editor-in-Chief Col Allan on Thursday defended the controversial police-and-dead-chimp cartoon by Page Six cartoonist Sean Delonas, claiming it is a "clear parody."

The cartoon that ran Wednesday had drawn complaints of alleged racism, and bad humor, after depicting police shooting a chimp similar to the incident that occurred in Stamford, Conn., earlier this week. In the cartoon, the police stated: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

"The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut," Allan told E&P about the flurry of negative reactions. "It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy.

Allan added, "Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

Delonas could not be reached for comment.

This is not the first time Delonas? work has drawn fire. On June 17, 2008, Alan Gardner pointed out on his blog, The Daily Cartoonist, that the cartoonist had turned in a nearly identical cartoon to one that had been previously published on April 6. Then-Politicker.com editorial cartoonist Rob Tornoe, now an E&P contributor, was the first to call attention to that cartoon.

Ted Rall, president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, told Poynter.org Thursday that he doesn't believe the cartoonist was saying anything about Obama. "It's about his economic advisers who wrote the stimulus bill, and they're a bunch of white guys."

Still, he criticized the cartoon because he said Delonas was employing an unfortunately common editorial-cartoonist technique of tying together two unrelated stories "and forcing these square pegs into round holes."

Tornoe is expected to deliver to E&P a cartoon of his own this afternoon, in response to Delonas' controversial piece. Stay tuned to the E&P Pub.