Cartoonist apologizes for Trayvon flap

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The University of Texas at Austin student who drew an editorial cartoon in the Daily Texan that refers to slain teenager Trayvon Martin as a "colored boy" apologized for the drawing Wednesday saying that her intended message "fell flat.'

“I apologize for what was in hindsight an ambiguous cartoon related to the Trayvon Martin shooting," cartoonist Stephanie Eisner said in a statement. "I intended to contribute thoughtful commentary on the media coverage of the incident, however this goal fell flat.

"I would like to make it explicitly clear that I am not a racist, and that I am personally appalled by the killing of Trayvon Martin. I regret any pain the wording or message of my cartoon may have caused.”

The cartoon was critical of the way the media is handling the Trayvon Martin story. It appeared on the Daily Texan's website Monday  and was titled " Trayvon Martin and The Case of Yellow Journalism."

The cartoon takes a swipe at the way the Martin story is being reported, saying the shooter is being portrayed as "the big-bad white man (who) killed the handsome, innocent colored boy."

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent, whose work has appeared in the Austin American-Statesman for more than three decades, said anyone who pursues a career in the field must mindful of how such satire is perceived.

"When you are working as a cartoonist, it's important to know that the cartoon medium is a very powerful medium," said Sargent, who is a UT alum. "It's a weapon that needs to be wielded with some skill, and you want to hit the mark accurately."

The cartoon caused widespread backlash, and on Wednesday morning the Texan published several of the comments both online and in its print edition.

One comment read:

"I can’t believe The Daily Texan would run such a tasteless cartoon in Tuesday’s issue. Have we regressed back to the 1960s? I am disappointed in your decision to run this story in a city and University that is plagued with race issues. I hope appropriate action is taken and that editorial staff is fired or reprimanded for the cartoon.
Joel de la Rosa
Community member and UT alumnus"

Another from the president of the National Association of Black Journalists read:

"Even as an opinion piece, this comic is appalling. There was a 17-year-old boy murdered in all of this, and it’s the journalist’s duty to handle this kind of situation with respect and responsibility in deciding what to print, and sadly The Daily Texan did neither. Being that The Daily Texan is a student-run publication, we question the integrity and proficiency of your editors in making these kinds of decisions without experienced faculty and advisers to guide them in what is appropriate. After all, in the real news world, jobs are lost over mistakes like these just as this issue must be addressed by more than a simple statement from The Daily Texan. This has been an embarrassment to the University and the students who attend. We hope that, in the future, situations like these can be avoided by handling issues like these with much more sensitivity to life lost and the families and students who are mourning in this time.
Priscilla Thompson
President of the Austin chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists"

The editors also released a statement:

"The views expressed in the cartoon are not those of the editorial board. They are those of the artist.

"It is the policy of the editorial board to publish the views of our columnists and cartoonists, even if we disagree with them."

Meanwhile, hundreds rallied at the Texas Capitol, donning hoodies in honor of Martin. And the leader of a   group that gathered in San Marcos protesting the shooting called it a "modern-day lynching."

On Tuesday, Martin's parents went before a congressional panel and thanked those who turned their 17-year-old son's death into a rallying cry against racial profiling.

Other reactions

Although the cartoon is causing an uproar, some students on the UT-Austin campus Wednesday didn't see what all the fuss was about.

"They're cartoons, you know they're caricatures of reality and in that respect you should take them with a grain of salt," said student David Hagan. "You shouldn't take them so seriously like it's an article in the New York Times."

Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Ben Sargent, whose work has appeared in the Austin American-Statesman for more than three decades, said anyone who pursues a career in the field must mindful of how such satire is perceived.

"When you are working as a cartoonist, it's important to know that the cartoon medium is a very powerful medium," said Sargent, who is a UT alumnus. "It's a weapon that needs to be wielded with some