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November 22, 2005
Cartoonist Group Criticizes Tribune for Job Cuts
By Dave Astor
Published: November 22, 2005 4:25 PM ET
NEW YORK The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) criticized the Tribune Co. Tuesday for its willingness to eliminate editorial cartooning positions.
In a letter sent Tuesday to Tribune CEO Dennis FitzSimons, AAEC President Clay Bennett first mentioned the Los Angeles Times' decision to fire Michael Ramirez (E&P Online, Nov. 11). "The firing of a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist was understandably met with disbelief, but that disbelief quickly turned to dismay when the Times announced it does not intend to fill the vacancy left by his dismissal," wrote Bennett, a Pulitzer recipient himself.
Bennett, an editorial cartoonist with The Christian Science Monitor, added: "There are few journalists in a newsroom who can define the tone and identity of a publication like an editorial cartoonist does. By discarding those who make a newspaper unique, you rob it of its character. By robbing a newspaper of its character, you steal its spirit."
The AAEC president's letter to FitzSimons concluded: "The fate of several editorial cartoonists now hangs in the balance as other newspapers within your company look to make staff cuts. We hope that further reductions can be achieved without the loss of any of the outstanding cartoonists that you currently employ. The sacrifice of even one of them would be a disservice to their readers, a detriment to their newspaper, and ultimately regrettable to the Tribune Co. itself."
FitzSimons had not yet seen the letter when E&P called his office just before this story was posted. Bennett had e-mailed the letter Tuesday afternoon at about 3 p.m. Eastern time.
Among the other Tribune Co. cartoonists whose job status remains uncertain is Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher of The Sun in Baltimore (E&P Online, Nov. 16). Kallaugher's former cartoon colleague, Mike Lane, accepted a Sun buyout last year. And the Chicago Tribune never hired a new staff cartoonist after Jeff MacNelly died in 2000.
Dave Astor (dastor@editorandpublisher.com) is a senior editor at E&P.