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Sydney Morning Herald reprimanded for ‘gratuitous’ Jewish link in Gaza cartoon

SMH editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir

SMH editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir

The Sydney Morning Herald breached Australian Press Council standards by publishing a controversial cartoon about Israeli rocket attacks on Gaza which was “likely to cause great offence to many readers” by placing “gratuitous emphasis on the Jewishness of its subject”.

When it was published in July the cartoon by Glen Le Lievre was likened to Nazi propaganda. It showed an elderly man with a large nose sat in an armchair with a remote control pointing at an exploding cityscape, implied to be Gaza, wearing a traditional Jewish headdress with a Star of David over the back of the seat.

It was run alongside an editorial by columnist Mike Carlton on the conflict. Carlton quit Fairfax a week later after being suspended for sending abusive messages on social media to people who had complained about the column.

In today’s ruling the APC says while “a linkage with Israeli nationality might have been justifiable in the public interest” the “same cannot be said of the implied linkage with the Jewish faith that arose from inclusion of the kippah and the Star of David”.

The ruling noted the 650 word apology carried by the paper the week after over the cartoon, and said the editor-in-chief, Darren Goodsir, and news director had attended seminars by the Jewish Board of Deputies around imagery that could be considered anti-semitic, whilst it has also changed procedures so extra layers of approvals are needed for cartoons.

In its response to the APC’s inquiries the SMH agreed the cartoon “had placed gratuitous emphasis on the Jewishness of its subject”.

The ruling concludes: “The Council welcomes the prominent, extensive and closely-reasoned apology by the publication and its subsequent action to reduce the risk of repetition. The Council commends this approach to other publications.”

The full ruling is being carried by the SMH today.

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