Buffalo News cartoon slams Palin, editor clarifies

(buffalonews.com)

The editor of the Buffalo News is apologizing to readers for a cartoon that appeared in the paper today Tuesday associating Sarah Palin with the violence in Tucson, Arizona.

The letter was forwarded to me by Carl Paladino, who blasted it out to a number of people. Here's the letter from editor Margaret Sullivan.

[Note: The original headline on this item incorrectly referred to Sullivan's letter as an apology, which, if you read the letter, it isn't.]

January 12, 2011

Dear Buffalo News Reader,

As editor of The News, I take very seriously the opinions and feelings of our readers. I understand that you disagree strongly with the editorial and political cartoon that appeared in Tuesday’s paper. I respect your point of view.

Our cartoonist, Adam Zyglis, was expressing his own viewpoint, not that of the paper as a whole. The cartoon was intended as a comment criticizing the extreme rhetoric -- using such terms as target, cross-hairs, and re-loading -- that politicians, including Sarah Palin, have used toward their political opponents. The umbrella of free speech has been used to defend that language but, Zyglis believes, the rhetoric has had a tragic and inflammatory effect.

The editorial and cartoon appeared on the same day, not as an intentional "double whammy," but simply because of the proximity in time to the Arizona massacre.

The News will be publishing a number of letters to the editor and other pieces from people who feel as you do. If you’d like to give us your opinion in that form, we’d be happy to consider publishing it.

Thank you for letting me know your thoughts on this important subject. I hope that you will continue reading The News, and I assure you that I will have your viewpoint in mind as we go forward.

Very truly yours,

Margaret Sullivan

Editor and Vice President