Supporting Those Who Stand Up

Ann Telnaes resigned in protest from The Washington Post on January 3, 2025, after the paper's editorial page editor rejected her now-famous satirical cartoon depicting several media and technology billionaires, including Washington Post owner, Jeff Bezos, bowing in subservience to a statue of then-President-elect Donald Trump. Ann wrote in her first Substack: “As an editorial cartoonist, my job is to hold powerful people and institutions accountable. For the first time, my editor prevented me from doing that critical job. So I have decided to leave the Post. I doubt my decision will cause much of a stir and that it will be dismissed because I’m just a cartoonist. But I will not stop holding truth to power through my cartooning, because as they say, ‘Democracy dies in darkness.’”

Editorial and political cartoonists, whose work often skewers the rich and powerful, are facing an increasingly perilous environment all over the world. A March 2026 report by “Cartoonists Rights” and “Cartooning for Peace” warns of a “climate of fear” that is fostering widespread self-censorship, even in established democracies like the United States. In this environment of increasing threats to political cartoonists, we were proud to work with our friends at the Media and Democracy Project to organize “Drawing the Line: An Evening with Political Cartoonists,” a Zoom event held on Thursday, March 19 featuring a panel of esteemed cartoonists—Ann Telnaes, Tom Tomorrow, and Steve Brodner. We encourage everyone to visit their Substacks, websites, and social media, and amplify their work. They deserve our support, particularly in this moment of conflict and repression.