New York Post Apologizes

After two days of protests and heated debate over whether or not an ambiguous cartoon with a bullet-riddled chimpanzee was a flagrantly racist cartoon or a simple pictorial stab at the just-signed economic stimulus package, the New York Post  threw in half the towel and apologized - but to only those that had been offended. To those that were only attempting to hurt or destroy the Post itself through contributing to the controversy, an editorial in Wednesday's paper made clear the apology was not for them.

Wonder: Could they possibly mean people like Reverend Al Sharpton? And do they really mean it?

Al Sharpton was vocally condemnatory from the beginning, making a statement to the Associated Press: "The cartoon in today's New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee that 'Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill.'"

After touching off a national debate on the cartoon's overt intent, implied intent, hidden intent, and questionable racist content, the Reverend Al Sharpton took to the streets Thursday and marched on the offices of the New York Post. The Post had refused to issue an apology and defended the cartoonist's and their First Amendment right to publish the cartoon. CNN reported that Sharpton told reporters and listeners that owner Rupert Murdoch and the New York Post should be investigated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Sean Delonas, creator of the controversial cartoon, heatedly denied that the cartoon image was meant as a racial attack, calling such assertions "ridiculous."