NAHJ Leadership Calls Foul on Controversial Editorial Cartoon

National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Board President Brandon Benavides  and NAHJ members will meet with Albuquerque Journal Editor-in-Chief Karen Moss on March 5th to continue talks after fallout over a highly controversial editorial cartoon the newspaper published. In early February, the paper published a cartoon that depicted a group mugging a white couple with the caption, “Now, honey ... I believe they prefer to be called ‘Dreamers’ ... Or future Democrats.” The paper apologized for running the cartoon, but NAHJ wants assurances from its management that reporters will not be reprimanded for speaking out on social media and is calling for the creation of a newsroom diversity committee. “Our mission is to continue our dialogue with the paper’s editors to ensure fair and accurate coverage of Latinos in the community,” said Benavides. “The published cartoon did a disservice to the community and now we are coming together to ensure it does not happen again.” This isn’t the first time that the cartoon’s author, Sean Delonas -- once-called "the Picasso of prejudice” -- has gotten into hot water over his drawings; in 2009, an uproar ensued over an NYPost cartoon that some said depicted then-President Obama as a chimpanzee. More on the NAHJ meeting here.