Overview
- Newsday said the cartoon was insensitive and offensive, removed it from digital platforms, and acknowledged an error in judgment in a Sunday statement.
- The image, which ran in Saturday’s print edition, showed an empty chair under a tent labeled “CHARLIE KIRK” with blood spatter, an arrow to “TURNING POINT USA,” and the phrase “Prove Me Wrong.”
- Newsday explained the illustrator referenced Kirk’s organization and event theme to suggest the killing could be a turning point, but the paper said the imagery was inappropriate.
- The cartoon was drawn by Chip Bok, a nationally syndicated Ohio-based cartoonist who is not a Newsday employee; the paper said it contacted his syndication agency for comment.
- Suffolk GOP chair Jesse Garcia and other officials had demanded removal, termination of the artist’s contract, and an apology, and Garcia later said he accepted the paper’s apology on behalf of local committees.