Editorial cartoonists’ firings point to steady decline of opinion pages in newspapers

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Media Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Even in a year when media layoffs seem a daily part of the news, the firing of three Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists in a single day was a gut punch. The McClatchy chain of 30 newspapers said it would no longer run editorial cartoons. Experts say that while economics are partly to blame, timidity also plays a role. Many managers don’t want to offend readers, and a biting satirical cartoon is bound to set off sparks. It comes in an environment when many news outlets are cutting back on opinion in general.