The West Australian issues front-page apology for publishing ‘abhorrent’ racist cartoon

Seven West Media newspaper The West Australian has issued a front-page apology for publishing a racist cartoon in Monday’s edition that the editor-in-chief has called “abhorrent”.

The Modesty Blaise cartoon strip was written in 1981, and features racial stereotypes and slurs about First Nations people. It was published because a third-party agency composes the newspaper’s comics page through an automated process, which was not checked.

The West Australian conducted a review into the “mistake”, has re-established an in-house checking process to “ensure this type of offensive material is not published again”, and will no longer publish Modesty Blaise cartoons.

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