Fast Forward

New York Times Apologizes For Publishing Anti-Semitic Political Cartoon

A caricature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Trump published in the New York Times’ international edition on April 25, 2019, which the paper later acknowledged “included anti-Semitic tropes.”

By Josefin Dolsten April 28, 2019

NEW YORK (JTA) — The New York Times apologized for publishing a political cartoon widely criticized as anti-Semitic.

In a second statement on the cartoon issued Sunday, the newspaper said it was “deeply sorry for the publication of an anti-Semitic political cartoon” that appeared in its international print edition.

The image, which drew wide criticism, including by Vice President Mike Pence, depicted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a guide dog (a dachshund) wearing a Star of David collar and leading President Donald Trump, who is wearing a black kippah. It appeared in the Opinion section of Thursday’s issue next but apparently unrelated to a column by Thomas Friedman about immigration.

“Such imagery is always dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, it is all the more unacceptable,” the Sunday statement read.

The apology came a day after one person was killed and three were injured in a shooting at a synagogue in Poway, San Diego. The Times had issued a previous statement on Saturday that called the image “offensive” and saying it “included anti-Semitic tropes” but did not outright apologize for its publication.

The Times said that the cartoon was published of “a faulty process” resulting in “a single editor working without adequate oversight.”

“The matter remains under review, and we are evaluating our internal processes and training. We anticipate significant changes,” the statement continued.

Dan Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to Israel, called the second statement “appropriate and placed in the correct context.”

Josefin Dolsten is a New York-based writer who has reported for the Forward, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Times of Israel and other Jewish publications. She currently works as an account director at Fenton Communications, supporting organizations that work to advance racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive rights and more. Dolsten earned her B.A. in government from Cornell University and her M.A. in comparative religion and Jewish studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO