Washington Post Editorial Cartoonist Resigns, As Corporate Press Continues To Disqualify Itself
I have "never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at.” ~Pulitizer Prize Winner, Ann Telnaes

Who needs gatekeepers anyway? Gatekeepers like The Washington Post are so last century.
Less than two weeks ago, on December 24th, the Post’s editorial cartoonist, Ann Telnaes, published the following cartoon — which includes a portrait of herself caged in a coal mine — as one element of a lengthy post to her newsletter on this platform. See, The Canaries Are Not Doing Well
The money quote is:
“A silenced cartoonist is an indicator of an unhealthy environment for freedom of expression.”
Earlier today, the Post killed the following draft of Ms. Telnaes cartoon satirizing Mark Zuckerberg/Facebook & Meta founder and CEO, Sam Altman/AI CEO, Patrick Soon-Shiong/LA Times publisher, the Walt Disney Company/ABC News, and Jeff Bezos who owns the Washington Post.
Ms. Telnaes resigned, writing on this platform that in all her many years as an editorial cartoonist, she has “never had a cartoon killed because of who or what I chose to aim my pen at.”
As satire goes, this is pretty benign stuff. The bromance between the incoming Trump Administration, Big Tech, and the Fortune 500 has been well-documented. Bromances between corporate America and Presidential Administrations are nothing new. Sort of the definition of capitalism.
When I saw the draft cartoon, my first thought was, “No Musk?”
Now that Ms. Telnaes has resigned, or as I like to call it Turning Pro (h/t Steven Pressfield, she can really wield her pen, and likely have a much greater impact than she had buried deep in the bowels of a fading last-century brand.
Dilbert creator, Scott Adams, was simultaneously deplatformed by thousands of newspapers for some very benign, First Amendment-protected political speech. Adams now writes the uncensored Dilbert Reborn. No way this strip would’ve made the cut in the corporate press.
Political satirist, Andy Borowitz, fled the New Yorker for this platform and is making bank with nearly 500,00 subscribers. Borowitz has already commented in support of Telnaes.
When I think of Borowitz, I think of the darkly hilarious story he hold on stage for The Moth, back in 2011ish. This is very good stage work for a writer. Most writers do not attempt to be funny on purpose; especially with no notes, no net, no place to hide. Borowitz gets lots of laughs here.
The Babylon Bee is completely independent and, accordingly, hits much harder than Ms. Telnaes ever could as a W2 at the Post.
Biden Awards Presidential Medal Of Freedom To Skeletor
When Trump got shot for the first time, I created the following piece, which I don’t think I could sell to the corporate clean managing editors of the Post or the Washington Times, its op-ed political opponent.
Trump Obstructed Assassination Process, Says Grand Jury
PITTSBURGH, PA — A grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump on a single count of Obstructing The Assassination Process, when he turned his head aside just as an assassin’s bullet was about to pierce his skull.
“This is not normal. We’ve never seen this before,” said MSNBC’s Joy Reid. “This is not how assassination works.”
“There’s a right way and a wrong way to do these things,” says Special Prosecutor Jack Smith. “Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy gave their lives in furtherance of the Assassination Process. They did not simply turn away. They confronted the threat head on.”
In motion papers, Trump’s lawyers unsuccessfully argued that the President is immune. “Because the former President was not ‘in office’ when he affirmatively turned his head, thereby dodging the bullet, immunity is not a defense. The defendant’s motion to dismiss must therefore be denied,” the court wrote.
If convicted, Trump faces death by firing squad, a result the prosecution concedes is darkly ironic.
Okay — “They confronted the threat head on.” — that’s a tough hit. That’s what political satire is all about!
Ms. Telnaes entire take on this ordeal is linked immediately below.
I say, “Congratulations, Ann! Get your pen out! Show us what you’ve really been wanting to say without some suit looking over your shoulder, who couldn’t begin to do what you do.
Welcome to the free world of 1099s!