Tom Spurgeon's Web site of comics news, reviews, interviews and commentary











March 4, 2005


More Papers Skipping More Boondocks

imageEditor and Publisher has the news almost before it happens, with a short piece on the Miami Herald skipping The Boondocks today and tomorrow for approximate use of the slang word "nigga." One of the odder reasons given by the Herald is that people may not know cartoonist Aaron McGruder is black. I have to imagine that as many people as care to think about it know or at least assume McGruder is black, and I can't imagine the paper would receive complaints where that would be the crucial issue. "Unless I can be assured of something about the cartoonist, I have a complaint to make."

In a related article the Chicago Tribune's public editor -- a supposed reader advocate employed by the paper -- takes a long, Family Circus-style walk through the issues surrounding dropping episodes of newspaper strips. If you can stay awake, it's a pretty good primer on the decision-making process, or at least the mindset of those who will evetually make these decisions. The astonishing claim that Alley Oop still runs in 600 markets might startle some of you into an upright position, although I'm guessing that's just the case of an added zero.
 
posted 9:21 am PST | Permalink
 

 
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