A Massachusetts newspaper has issued an apology after outcry from local police and its readers over a political cartoon.
Just days after the murder of police officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas, the Cape Cod Times published a cartoon critical of law enforcement. It depicted a cop car captioned “vehicle that white people see,” accompanied by a hearse captioned “vehicle that black people see.”
Earlier this week, the Cape Cod Times issued a statement in response to the hundreds of comments they had received saying the editorial cartoon was in poor taste.
“We are sorry to anyone who was offended and we regret the timing of the editorial cartoon published in Saturday’s Cape Cod Times. … Cartoons, in particular, can be sensitive because the forum is prone to exaggeration, caricature and hyperbole while making their point. Surely that was the case with this particular cartoon and we apologize to anyone who found it objectionable,” the statement said.
Artist Dave Granlund, who drew the cartoon, did not respond to Heat Street’s request for comment.
Earlier this week, Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson said the cartoon was “one of those things that could cost somebody their life,” while Chatham Police Chief Mark Pawlina called it “beyond despicable.”
Meanwhile, readers took to the Cape Cod Times Facebook page to express their disappointment.
The newspaper, which has an estimated circulation between 35,000 and 40,000, serves the Cape Code area of Massachusetts.
— Jillian Kay Melchior writes for Heat Street and is a fellow for the Steamboat Institute and the Independent Women’s Forum.