Misguided Cartoonist Has 'Right to Fail': Parker

Court clears Walter Bagdasarian for exhorting people to 'shoot the [racial slur]'

(NEWSER) - The First Amendment protects even racists calling for the president’s assassination, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today, overturning the conviction of Walter Bagdasarian. Bagdasarian was convicted of threatening to kill a presidential candidate two weeks ahead of the 2008 election for an online rant in which he called for people to “shoot the n*****,” and predicted that Obama would “have a 50 cal in his head soon,” the LA Times reports. More»

Employee says boss called her 'Cha Cha #1'

(NEWSER) - A former associate editor of the New York Post says she was fired for complaining about the paper’s racist and sexist atmosphere. Sandra Guzman, who identified herself as the “only female editor of color at the Post,” is suing parent News Corp. Her suit claims she was among those who complained about an infamous cartoon in February that critics say likened President Obama to a chimpanzee. Guzman also says a senior executive made a habit of referring to her as “Cha Cha #1,” Reuters reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The ACLU and other watchdog groups on both the left and right think President Obama is carrying his crusade against lobbyists too far, Politico reports. Obama's recent directive forbidding government officials from discussing how to spend the stimulus with lobbyists infringes on free speech, they say. The groups plan to send a formal letter of protest to the White House next week. More»

Says it was only intended to mock stimulus

(NEWSER) - Rupert Murdoch eats some crow today, with a short statement in the New York Post apologizing for the now-infamous chimpanzee cartoon. “I have spoken to a number of people and I now better understand the hurt this cartoon has caused,” Murdoch writes. “The only intent of that cartoon was to mock a badly written piece of legislation. It was not meant to be racist.” More»

Controversy continues as NAACP threatens News Corp. boycott

(NEWSER) - NAACP leaders demanded the firing of the artist and editor responsible for the New York Post's controversial cartoon, reports CNN. Black leaders say the image draws on historically racist imagery by comparing President Obama to a chimpanzee. The NAACP has threatened boycotts of the Post and other News Corp. affiliates if its demands are not met, but the Post is standing firm. "Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon," the paper says. More»