The Kansas City Star has often been accused of being anti-Catholic in its coverage.
Sometimes the criticism is warranted; sometimes not.
But Lee Judge, the newspaper’s cartoonist, may have carried the McClatchy-owned paper’s anti-Catholic vitriol to a new high.
Judge’s cartoon are often edgy, but from a marketing perspective one has to question the wisdom of the Star directly offending a major part of it subscriber base. It should be noted that this week the newspaper began asking subscribers to pay more for the same news product.
Judge’s latest cartoon attacking the Pope, the worldwide leader of a faith that has 1.1 billion adherents worldwide, may have crossed a major journalistic line.
Under any circumstances could one ever see Judge making fun of ANY other religious faith or group? How about Muslims? Jews?
However, likely because of the ongoing attacks on Catholics by his newspaper over the years, he felt he could get away with the latest slur. He was correct. His editors gave him the green light.
“Somehow, I’m missing the joke,” a local Catholic official related to Bottom Line. “Is there a punchline in this cartoon, or is it just a sneer?”
The official found very little humor in the cartoon.
“What are archaic views on ‘child molestation’?” he says. ”Does he think the Pope supports it? Did people used to think it’s a good thing? Are those the same people who believe marriage is between a man and a woman? That would describe most of the readership of the Star.”
He adds, “The Pope believes health care is an “inalienable right” of man and that “Justice in health care should be a priority of governments and international institutions.” Is this the archaic view the Star refers to?”
The newspaper, which often preaches to readers civility on public and political issues, seems to feel that does not necessarily apply to discussions/cartoons about the Catholic faith.
Judge’s cartoon was based on the fact that the Vatican announced recently that Pope Benedict XVI was going to have a Twitter account effective Dec. 12.
Already, more than 500,000 people have already signed up before any Tweets have even been made.
Judge’s cartoon asks: “Why did the man with archaic views on women, gays, birth control, sex, marriage, health care and child molestation open a Twitter account?
Underneath a picture of the Pope, Judge answered his own question with: “He wants to keep up with the times.”
One would be hard-pressed to even imagine Judge attacking any other religion in the world in such an ugly and disrespectful manner. In this day and age of political correctness, a vicious attack on any religion is almost unbelievable.
Many Catholics feel his cartoon has crossed a major line where he either he should be reprimanded/terminated, or the publisher of his newspaper should issue an apology to readers.
JUDGE’S WORK JUVENILE
My main problem with most of Judge’s cartoons is that they tend to be rather juvenile. The art work is usually very simplistic (i.e., grade school level), and more often than not the format is the Q and A format he is using here. Is The Star anti-Catholic? I’m still analyzing its coverage of religious matters with an eye on a possible future presentation.
AN ATTACK ON ALL PEOPLE OF FAITH
Morals are timeless.
The cartoon is not just an attack on the pope and Catholicism, it is an attack on all people of faith. The “cartoonist” hates G-d and His people. The Star wonders why it continues to lose readers. Maybe they don’t like being insulted!
JUDGE’S COWARDICE
It’s the cowardice that struck me most. Each of the positions he bashed Catholics for are also held by mainstream Muslims. Does anyone think for a second that Lee would ever dare to criticize them? I won’t hold my breath waiting for any of their hypocrite columnists who constantly harp on the need for civility in politics to step up.
LONG-DECEASED LIBERAL MEDIA
When the History of the 21st century is written, there will still be a Bishop of Rome, a pope, and whatever takes the place of Libraries then will have images of long-deceased so-called Liberal media, and 16th century torture instruments to show how cruel and idiotic early civilzations were. The best of the past will survive of course- wise teachings of the Bible maintained by the Bishops of Rome and those guided by the same Holy Spirit that purifies his Teacher statements. Viva Il Papa.
CARTOON WAS ALL TRUE?
What wasn’t true in the cartoon? nothing, it’s all true.
Good journalism and cartooning in particular have a strong place in American society. They have pointed out the obvious since before this country was formed. The cartoons done by the “patriots” in the 1700′s were vicious to King George, the ordained by the church of England monarch of this land at the time, as they should have been. Change in society is happening and this noise about Judge going after the Catholic church is just that noise, he is doing what is a fine tradition among cartoonists, poking a finger in the eye of the establishment.
Maybe the church of the romans will join the rest of the world in the 21st century.
Did you actually read the story and the comments by the Catholic official? Or did you just react with your own dislike of Catholics with the cartoon?
MUSLIMS WOULD BE RACIST
It is funny, if he would have said the same thing about muslims he would have been bashed as racist. People cannot see the forest for all the trees.
THOUGHTS ABOUT STAR’S EDITORIAL PAGE
The Star’s editorial page does more to destroy its credibility as a legitimate news source than anything else it publishes. In a day when there are tons of bloggers who can opine on any issue you want (and with more credibility than anyone on The Star’s editorial board) why they even have any of these dinosaurs around is beyond me.
If they simply eliminated all of the deadweight in editorial they could fund several real journalists to do what few bloggers have the time to do, produce original news stories.
The Star has many talented journalists capable of producing high quality material, but show me one person they have in editorial who can meet that same standard. Does Miriam Pepper even write anything anymore? And Lewis Diuguid, or Mary Sanchez? Is anyone puzzled about what their next column will be about? Endorsements? Guess who gets those. Barb Shelly, if a real journalist (or a prosecutor) wanted to know who to investigate just take a look at who she’s promoting in her latest column.
Even the letters to the editor are now redundant when readers can instantly comment on any of the articles The Star will allow open dialogue on.
Save the ink, save the space, rehire some of the quality journalists they laid off just by eliminating the entire useless staff of the editorial department. As this cartoon shows, they’re an ongoing public embarrassment to our community and the paper itself.
RAN IN OHIO PAPER
Thank you for posting this. The cartoon ran in my local paper in Ohio today, and it was the 2nd cartoon they ran this week insulting the Pope using the twitter angle. I called the paper to ask about their decision making process, awaiting response.
LINK ISSUE
On my computer at least, the link to the cartoon itself doesn’t work. Has the Star somehow done this deliberately?
It’s still there:http://www.kansascity.com/2012/12/03/3946250/mcclatchy-cartoons-for-the-week.html#slide-3
CARTOON REFLECTS IGNORANCE
Dear Mr. Landsberg: Thanks for posting this note about Mr. Judge’s cartoon. The cartoon reflects a lot of ignorance-Pope Benedict XVI has met with victims of abusive priests to begin their healing process, and the Church has long supported reforms in health care that will enable everyone to get the medical help that they need. But I don’t think that there should be calls to fire Mr. Judge-we don’t need a “Catholic Police” insisting on “sensitivity” to our beliefs the way that the infamous “PC Police” and “Patriotism Police” have been operating for years. And, yes, the Star’s editorial board does have a lot of “blind spots”-I am still waiting for them to publish the op-ed I sent them five years ago taking the dangerously un-American line that in our society everyone deserves due process-including white people accused of racism. Take care!! Sincerely, Respectfully and In Christ, Ernest Evans
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK
Jesus actually says to turn the other cheek when you are offended. No need to fire this guy because you didn’t like his joke.
PS
PS To my earlier comment: The reason the Star refuses to publish my op-ed is undoubtedly due to the concluding sentence: “It is as wrong to deny due process in 2008 to white police officers accused of racism as it was to deny due process to black men accused of rape in 1908.” If the Star printed that, the local versions of the PC police would go ballistic-mostly because it is true and, as the old French proverb goes: “It is only the truth that hurts.” Take care!! In Christ, Ernest Evans
CANCELLED KC STAR
Lee Judge is just one of the many reasons I cancelled my subscription to the Star years ago.
AIM FOR THE HEAD
I briefly considered reviving my amateur pitching career in order to join his over 40 baseball league, just for the chance to throw at his head.
JUDGE’S CHILDREN
anti-Catholic? Guess that’s why his kids went to Miege with my kids…