The production editor involved in publishing an anti-Semitic cartoon in the New York Times international edition is being penalized.
“We are taking disciplinary steps with the production editor who selected the cartoon for publication,” publisher A.G. Sulzberger said in an internal memo, according to media reports.
Sulzberger, who became publisher of the Times in 1992, also said that the Times’ “unconscious bias training” will be modified with a “direct focus on antisemitism.” He also characterized the graphic as “offensive and inconsistent with our values.”
“Though I’ve been assured there was no malice involved in this mistake, we fell far short of our standards and values in this case,” Sulzberger said.
The controversial cartoon was included in the New York Times’ international print edition last week and illustrated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a dachshund dog with a Star of David collar leading President Trump, who was wearing a yarmulke.
[Related: New York Times cartoonist blames ‘Jewish propaganda machine’ for anti-Semitic outrage]
On Sunday, the Times issued a full apology after sharing an editor’s note on Saturday admitting the image was “offensive.” In the apology, the Times explained that “we have investigated how this happened and learned that, because of a faulty process, a single editor working without adequate oversight downloaded the syndicated cartoon and made the decision to included it on the Opinion page.”
“The matter remains under review, and we are evaluating our internal processes and training,” the apology said. “We anticipate significant changes.”
According to the Times, an anonymous editor in Hong Kong signed off on including the cartoon, which was drawn by Portuguese artist, António Moreira Antunes.
