OTAGO NEWSPAPER SUSPENDS CARTOONIST
Controversial illustrator Garrick Tremain has been stood down after his cartoon mocking the deadly Samoan measles epidemic attracted heavy criticism, including from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
The cartoon, published in the Otago Daily Times on Tuesday, depicted two women walking out of a travel agent, with one saying to the other: ‘‘I asked, ‘What are the least popular spots at the moment?’ She said: ‘The ones people are picking up in Samoa.’ ’’
Many people have slammed the publication of the cartoon, saying the deaths of 60 people in Samoa were not something to joke about.
Newspaper editor Barry Stewart, who published an apology in yesterday’s edition, was visibly upset as nearly 50 protesters – many demanding his and Tremain’s resignations – gathered outside the paper’s building in Dunedin yesterday saying ‘‘Samoan lives matter’’.
Stewart read a brief statement saying the cartoon was ‘‘insensitive, and
I apologise without reservation’’. He said he was embarrassed and the cartoon had tainted the work of his colleagues. ‘‘It was an error, and I am very sorry ... we not only missed the mark, but our initial apology did not go far enough.’’
Stewart was heckled by one of the protesters. ‘‘There are babies dying right now and that’s all you can say,’’ one said.
Stewart said the newspaper’s editorial executives were reviewing their policies and would not run cartoons by Tremain while a review was under way. Stewart apologised to the Samoan community.
Ardern said she was ‘‘horrified’’ by the cartoon. ‘‘This is affecting children and babies – it’s absolutely horrific, no-one takes it lightly. New Zealand’s doing all we can to assist.’’
Stewart said the review would be ‘‘quick’’. Asked if he signed off the cartoon, he said: ‘‘I’m the editor, I take responsibility.’’
Protester Sina Brown-Davis said she was disgusted by the cartoon, and called the apology ‘‘half-baked’’. She planned to target advertisers if
Tremain was not fired.
Tremain published an apology on his website yesterday, saying the cartoon should not have been put forward for publication and acknowledging ‘‘the lack of judgment on my part’’. Earlier he told RNZ the cartoon was a simple, lighthearted joke about a travel agent making a stupid comment. But he said he could understand why people were upset by it.