In a move that seems way out of left field–even for an overly-sensitive and politically-correct student newspaper–The Daily Texan has issued an apology for publishing a cartoon about the Trayvon Martin case earlier this week. Most notably, the apology editorial mentions that the cartoonist, Stephanie Eisner, no longer works for the paper.
The cartoon, which can be viewed here, satirized the media’s rush to judgment on the possibility of the shooter, George Zimmerman, having racist motivations.
It is deliberately unclear whether Eisner resigned or was fired. Here is the full apology editorial (I added emphasis by putting the most relevant sections in bold):
Update: The cartoon was taken down from The Daily Texan website.
On Tuesday, a cartoon ran on the Opinion page of The Daily Texan that offended many readers, and we sincerely apologize for our decision to run it.
The cartoonist, Stephanie Eisner, no longer works for The Daily Texan.
However, the decision to run the cartoon showed a failure in judgment on the part of the editorial board. We have engaged in meaningful dialogue with many people who shared their concerns and outrage with us.
We made a mistake, and we understand that the outcome of our action extends beyond Tuesday’s cartoon and prompts us to reflect on a larger problem that persists at The Daily Texan and on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, something we should have done before Tuesday’s paper ran.
An expectation has developed over time at The Daily Texan that people will come to us with important issues. As a result, in recent years, we have failed to inject ourselves effectively into the University community.
This needs to change. This requires a fundamental shift in how we operate and will require us to actively engage with everyone in the community.
The Daily Texan will hold an open forum in the coming weeks to raise consciousness of race and diversity both at the Texan and on campus. We will require all Daily Texan employees to participate in a seminar each semester about the relationship between race and the media. We will also seek out and publish opinions that truly represent the views of the entire campus community. We understand these are only small steps in the much larger transformation we must undergo.
We sincerely apologize for publishing the offensive cartoon and for the harm that decision caused.
If Eisner was fired, she certainly isn’t complaining. In an e-mail to Inside Higher Ed, she also apologized for the cartoon:
I apologize for what was in hindsight an ambiguous cartoon related to the Trayvon Martin shooting. I intended to contribute thoughtful commentary on the media coverage of the incident, however this goal fell flat. I would like to make it explicitly clear that I am not a racist, and that I am personally appalled by the killing of Trayvon Martin. I regret any pain the wording or message of my cartoon may have caused.
I still don’t see how this cartoon, which mocks the “he’s a racist, no he’s the racist!” attitude of the media, is itself racist.
This story will be updated further when TCF learns more from the cartoonist and the newspaper.
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