A Canadian cartoonist says he lost his job after his illustration of U.S. President Donald Trump playing golf over the bodies of two drowned migrants went viral.
On Friday, to announce he had been let go from his contract with several New Brunswick newspapers, just 24 hours after the unpublished illustration went viral.
The political cartoon, which depicts Trump standing over the migrants asking, âDo you mind if I play through,â referenced the real-life viral image of a father and daughter from El Salvador who drowned trying to cross the Rio Grande.
The haunting image became a centrepiece of the U.S. immigration debate last week, leading Adder to reference it in an illustration.
âIt was just so quick,â de Adder told CTV National News on Monday. âI had cartoons in the can and they didnât run any of them. It was like ripping off a Band-Aid and it made no sense to me.â
News of Adderâs firing spread quickly on social media, with other cartoonists jumping to his defence.
Jason Chatfield, a cartoonist and writer for the New Yorker and MAD Magazine, shared Adderâs controversial illustration and news of his firing, prompting outrage from users. Chatfieldâs tweet was eventually shared by
Adder, noting that he does not wish to engage in a public fight with his former employer, said he was never given a reason for being fired.
âThey said they wanted a change and I donât think the readers of New Brunswick today feel that a change was necessary,â he said.
Adder noted on Twitter that every Trump-related cartoon he submitted over the last year had been rejected by the papers.
Speaking to Âéśš´ŤĂ˝, Adder said he asked his editors whether being let go was a cost-cutting measure or a result of his social media presence. He was told no.
Brunswick News Inc. denied ever being offered the Trump cartoon and added that the âfalse narrativeâ on social media surrounding their staffing decision âemerged carelessly and recklessly.â
âThe decision to bring back reader favourite Greg Perry was made long before this cartoon and negotiations had been ongoing for weeks.â
Brunswick News is privately owned by the Irvings, one of Canadaâs wealthiest families, who also operate Irving Oil.
âThe Irvings want to put out the viewpoint they want to put out,â he said. âLetâs ignore Trump for a minute. They donât want cartoons critical of Andrew Scheer, they donât want cartoons critical of Blaine Higgs, they donât want cartoons critical of their bottom line.â
Wes Tyrell, president of the Association of Canadian Cartoonists, told Âéśš´ŤĂ˝ Channel that the situation between de Adder and Brunswick News is a trend being seen around the globe as political pressures increasingly impact editorial decisions.
âWeâre extremely disappointed from an Association perspective,â he said. âWeâre seeing this with greater frequency year after year.â
âThis situation with Mr. de Adder is particularly difficult because it was for cartoons that were not even run by this paper.â
Tyrell also said the timing of Brunswick Newsâs statement on their decision to release de Adder has a âbit of an odour to it.â
âItâs very unattractive and we do not like to see it from a cartoonistâs perspective,â he said.
With files from Ben Cousins
Cartoons from the past two weeks.
â Michael de Adder (@deAdder)