38 Papers Drop Doonesbury

[Galahad]

Continental: Complaints Led to Drop-'Doonesbury' Poll

By Dave Astor

Published: July 21, 2004 11:50 AM EST, updated at 1:20 PM

NEW YORK A poll that resulted in a vote to drop "Doonesbury" was defended by the head of a Sunday-comics consortium.

"It was not a political statement of any kind," Continental Features President Van Wilkerson told E&P. "I personally don't have an opinion about 'Doonesbury' one way or another."

Wilkerson said he conducted the survey because Garry Trudeau's comic "created more controversy than other strips." In the poll e-mail he sent Continental's newspaper clients this spring, Wilkerson wrote: "(I)t is my feeling that a change in one of the features is required. I have fielded numerous complaints about 'Doonesbury' in the past and feel it is time to drop this feature and add another in its place. ... If the majority of the group favors a replacement, you will be expected to accept that change."

Of the 38 papers that run the Continental-produced Sunday comics section, 21 wanted to drop "Doonesbury," 15 wanted to keep it, and two had no opinion or preference. "I wouldn't call the vote [to drop 'Doonesbury'] overwhelming, but it was a majority opinion," Wilkerson said.

One of the 15 papers, The Anniston (Ala.) Star (Click for QuikCap), expressed public dismay with the vote yesterday -- saying the decision amounted to censorship. In an E&P interview after that article appeared, Star Executive Editor Troy Turner said: "Sure, 'Doonesbury' causes editors headaches from time to time, but there is a proven readership for it. Newspapers need to think of readers first, or they will continue to struggle."

Turner added that he doesn't recall Continental doing polls about any of the other 22 comics in its package; "Doonesbury" was singled out. Wilkerson acknowledged that the survey was out of the norm.

The Continental head said he doesn't know exactly when "Doonesbury" will leave the package; he's currently polling clients to see if they want to replace it with "Agnes," "Get Fuzzy," "Pickles," "Zits," or another comic.

If Continental does pull "Doonesbury" from the package, "we will find a way to run it in the Sunday paper," said Star Editorial Page Editor Bob Davis. He noted that the Star already publishes the daily "Doonesbury" in an unusual locale: the back page of the "A" section.

As previously reported, Star Publisher H. Brandt Ayers e-mailed Wilkerson to say he and his paper's editors "strongly object to an obviously political effort to silence a minority point of view. For years, my New Deal father bore the opposition views of Orphan Annie and Daddy Warbucks, and I believe he would have fought an effort to silence them a by a simple majority vote. This is wrong, offensive to First Amendment freedoms."

"Doonesbury" -- which appears in more than 1,400 papers via Universal Press Syndicate -- has made a lot of news this year with strong criticism of President Bush and the Iraq war. In one sequence, Trudeau offered $10,000 to anyone who could prove Bush served in the Alabama National Guard. And, in an ongoing story line, the B.D. character lost a leg in Iraq and is dealing with the aftermath of that devastating injury.

The 38 papers running the package from Salisbury, N.C.-based Continental are predominately located in the Southeast.

Personally, I think that strips that are primarily political, like this one should appear on the op ed pages instead of in the comics section. I'd rather see that then just see them dropped.

 

[ScarlettO]

Originally posted by Galahad
Personally, I think that strips that are primarily political, like this one should appear on the op ed pages instead of in the comics section. I'd rather see that then just see them dropped.

 

[jennyanydots]

can we get them to move Mallard Filmore too? that's more "political cartoon" than "comic strip".

doonesbury, at least, has a cast of characters and a story line.

 

[goudaman40]

I hope they replace it with both Get Fuzzy & Pickles.

Both of those are really cute comics.

 

[Dodie]

Originally posted by Galahad
Personally, I think that strips that are primarily political, like this one should appear on the op ed pages instead of in the comics section. I'd rather see that then just see them dropped.

I totally agree with you!

 

[Funkyzeit mit Bruno]

Good move. Private citizens and institutions should make people like Trudeau pay for boosting the morale of the enemy.

 

[wvrevy]

Originally posted by Funkyzeit mit Bruno
Good move. Private citizens and institutions should make people like Trudeau pay for boosting the morale of the enemy.

To quote another famous comic: "Oh, brother"

 

[septbride2002]

Good Lord! If you don't like the strip then don't read it! How hard is that? I don't like the Spiderman strips in The St. Louis Post Dispatch so guess what - I don't read it. I do like Get Fuzzy - so I read that one.

It amazes me that people are to darn unintelligent to figure that out. So instead we are going to pull it because the editors are tired of dealing with whiny citizens that can't figure out that no one is holding a gun to their head to read the strip.

~Amanda

 

[KrnB]

Originally posted by Galahad
Personally, I think that strips that are primarily political, like this one should appear on the op ed pages instead of in the comics section. I'd rather see that then just see them dropped.

I agree. I'm not a fan of Doonesbury - mostly because of it's political slant - but I think there is still a need for those strips to have a voice, and the op ed pages make perfect sense. They aren't all that different from the editorial cartoon that is already on most papers' op ed pages.

I would imagine posting those strips there would lessen the number of complaints those papers receive, because they would be in a place where readers expect to have a political opinion expressed.

What actually would have made even more sense is if they would have polled the readers of those 38 papers, not just the people who run them.

 

[Saffron]

Good move. Private citizens and institutions should make people like Trudeau pay for boosting the morale of the enemy.

Well then maybe the newspapers should replace it with Bettle Bailey to scare the tar out of the enemy!

 

[wvrevy]

Originally posted by septbride2002
Good Lord! If you don't like the strip then don't read it! How hard is that? I don't like the Spiderman strips in The St. Louis Post Dispatch so guess what - I don't read it. I do like Get Fuzzy - so I read that one.

It amazes me that people are to darn unintelligent to figure that out. So instead we are going to pull it because the editors are tired of dealing with whiny citizens that can't figure out that no one is holding a gun to their head to read the strip.

~Amanda

Lacking an [applause] smiley, that's the best I could do

If people don't like it...don't read it...Seems simple enough....Oh, but wait...I forgot...We have to punish Gary Trudeau for giving aid and comfort to our enemies.

Wait..."Trudeau"...Sounds kinda.....FRENCH, doesn't it ?!?

 

[meandtheguys2]

Originally posted by wvrevy
Wait..."Trudeau"...Sounds kinda.....FRENCH, doesn't it ?!?

You are bad!

 

[Funkyzeit mit Bruno]

Originally posted by wvrevy
[BWe have to punish Gary Trudeau for giving aid and comfort to our enemies. [/B]

Should we give him a medal? Every public figure who opposes the war convinces one more iraqi to join the insurgents. If Iraqis were sure we were in it for the long haul, there'd be no insurgency. With traitorous poison like Trudeau's strip so prevalent in our culture they know they they don't have to win in the usual sense. The enemy's battle plan is to just keep killing our boys and girls, eventually the Trudeaus and the Moores will win.

 

[shortbun]

Originally posted by Funkyzeit mit Bruno
Should we give him a medal? Every public figure who opposes the war convinces one more iraqi to join the insurgents. If Iraqis were sure we were in it for the long haul, there'd be no insurgency. With traitorous poison like Trudeau's strip so prevalent in our culture they know they they don't have to win in the usual sense. The enemy's battle plan is to just keep killing our boys and girls, eventually the Trudeaus and the Moores will win.

Let's hope the Moores and Trudeaus win and the paranoids
get a shrink.

There'd be no insurgency-yeah,right! And I've got some nice
swampland I wanna sell ya.

 

[septbride2002]

Should we give him a medal? Every public figure who opposes the war convinces one more iraqi to join the insurgents. If Iraqis were sure we were in it for the long haul, there'd be no insurgency. With traitorous poison like Trudeau's strip so prevalent in our culture they know they they don't have to win in the usual sense. The enemy's battle plan is to just keep killing our boys and girls, eventually the Trudeaus and the Moores will win.

Yeah I'm a real Benedict Arnold when it comes to my country. Please! Just because you do not agree with a war does not make you a traitor! It is OUR JOB to questions the actions of the politicians that represent us. Not to just go along smiling like an idiot. That is why there are so many other nationalities that can't stand us.

Let me ask - if the President supported making Cocaine Legal - would you support that to? Keep in mind you would be a traitor if you didn't!

~Amanda

 

[septbride2002]

There'd be no insurgency-yeah,right! And I've got some nice swampland I wanna sell ya.

Can I build Walt Disney World on it?

~Amanda

 

[Magix]

Originally posted by Funkyzeit mit Bruno
Should we give him a medal? Every public figure who opposes the war convinces one more iraqi to join the insurgents. If Iraqis were sure we were in it for the long haul, there'd be no insurgency. With traitorous poison like Trudeau's strip so prevalent in our culture they know they they don't have to win in the usual sense. The enemy's battle plan is to just keep killing our boys and girls, eventually the Trudeaus and the Moores will win.

I keep trying to tell myself you're only joking. Trolling to get our goat, perhaps. Still, I have this nagging feeling...

Well, just in case let me proudly stand and say:

I SUPPORT GARRY TRUDEAU - I LIKE DOONESBURY!

I DO NOT SUPPORT THE WAR IN IRAQ!

I DO NOT SUPPORT IRAQI INSURGENTS!

I DO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

I DO NOT AND WILL NOT TOW THE PARTY LINE, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT!

I DO THINK FOR MYSELF!

Thanks, just felt the need to get that out there.

 

[TinkBoo&ElliesMum]

Originally posted by Funkyzeit mit Bruno
Should we give him a medal? Every public figure who opposes the war convinces one more iraqi to join the insurgents. If Iraqis were sure we were in it for the long haul, there'd be no insurgency. With traitorous poison like Trudeau's strip so prevalent in our culture they know they they don't have to win in the usual sense. The enemy's battle plan is to just keep killing our boys and girls, eventually the Trudeaus and the Moores will win.

Because the Iraqi insurgents have so much time to sit around and read Doonesbury I'm sure they all stop what they're doing to read a bit of the Sunday paper

But of course we're all supposed to be on the pro-war bandwagon and those that aren't don't deserve entertainment.

 

[minniepumpernickel]

Originally posted by Magix
I keep trying to tell myself you're only joking. Trolling to get our goat, perhaps. Still, I have this nagging feeling...

Well, just in case let me proudly stand and say:

I SUPPORT GARRY TRUDEAU - I LIKE DOONESBURY!

I DO NOT SUPPORT THE WAR IN IRAQ!

I DO NOT SUPPORT IRAQI INSURGENTS!

I DO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

I DO NOT AND WILL NOT TOW THE PARTY LINE, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT!

I DO THINK FOR MYSELF!

Thanks, just felt the need to get that out there.

I second that emotion!

 

[peachgirl]

Originally posted by Funkyzeit mit Bruno
Should we give him a medal? Every public figure who opposes the war convinces one more iraqi to join the insurgents. If Iraqis were sure we were in it for the long haul, there'd be no insurgency. With traitorous poison like Trudeau's strip so prevalent in our culture they know they they don't have to win in the usual sense. The enemy's battle plan is to just keep killing our boys and girls, eventually the Trudeaus and the Moores will win.

First impression here is TROLL...

If not, what a frighteningly ignorant viewpoint. I seriously doubt you'll get even the most conservative posters on these boards to agree with you...

Well, maybe one or two...

I feel like it's my civic duty to recite the following:

I SUPPORT GARRY TRUDEAU - I LIKE DOONESBURY!

I DO NOT SUPPORT THE WAR IN IRAQ!

I DO NOT SUPPORT IRAQI INSURGENTS!

I DO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS!

I DO NOT AND WILL NOT TOW THE PARTY LINE, NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY ABOUT IT!

I DO THINK FOR MYSELF!


Wonder how many Iraqi's I've encouraged to join the insurgency??? After all, if they're reading Trudeau, surely they read the Dis boards!!!