The New York Times issued an apology Sunday for an anti-Semitic cartoon it published internationally Thursday.
The cartoon showed President Trump wearing a yarmulke and being led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is depicted as a service dog for the blind with a Star of David collar.
In the NYTimes international: Bibi Netanyahu characterized as a dog leading a blind, Jewish Trump.
When did the @nytimes hire David Duke as an editor? pic.twitter.com/7bGf1jLrri— Harry Khachatrian (@Harry1T6) April 27, 2019
On Saturday the New York Times Opinion Twitter account responded to criticism by saying that publishing the cartoon was “an error of judgment.” That statement also said the cartoon was provided by the New York Times News Service and Syndicate, which has since deleted it.
It took another whole day for the Times to issue an apology.
“We are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again,” the Sunday statement said. “Such imagery is always dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, it’s all the more unacceptable.”
The news organization said that it appeared publication of the cartoon came from a single editor and that the Times anticipates “significant changes.”
We apologize for the anti-Semitic cartoon we published. Here’s our statement. pic.twitter.com/nifZahutpO
— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) April 28, 2019
New York Times columnist Bret Stephens wrote an op-ed in the Times on Sunday expressly condemning the cartoon as anti-Semitic. Noting the news outlet is “otherwise hyper-alert to nearly every conceivable expression of prejudice,” he wondered if an editor would more readily notice the issue with a similar cartoon if it featured a prominent woman like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, an African American like John Lewis, or a Muslim like Rep. Ilhan Omar. Stephens also noted the “torrential criticism of Israel” in addition to “mainstreaming of anti-Zionism.”
“So long as anti-Semitic arguments or images are framed, however speciously, as commentary about Israel, there will be a tendency to view them as a form of political opinion, not ethnic prejudice,” Stephens wrote.
This past month Netanyahu won a historic fifth term as prime minister. Netanyahu and Trump have become very close during their time leading their respective countries. Since being elected, Trump moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and recognized Israel’s claim to the contested Golan Heights region, where the prime minister announced he would name a settlement after Trump.
