Several US newspapers, including The Washington Post, have canceled the “Dilbert” comic strip after its author made racist comments.
Among the newspapers that have canceled the comic strip are The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times and the more than 300 newspapers that are part of the Gannett group, one of the largest publishing groups in the United States and owner of the popular “USA Today.”
The decision of those newspapers comes after the author of the comic strip, Scott Adams, said Wednesday in a live broadcast on YouTube that the black community in the US is a “hate group” and that whites should “get away from them”.
In a statement, Gannett justified his decision to cancel the comic strip by the “discriminatory comments” of its author and explained that, although he respects freedom of expression, Adams’ vision is “not in line” with the values of the editorial group.
For its part, the newspaper The Washington Post expIt was reported Saturday through a spokesman that he had received calls from readers asking for the contract with Adams to be terminated and, finally, this Sunday the comic strip was removed from most of its written editions.
Some editions, however, kept the drawing because the order had not arrived on time. On the web it had been totally removed.
Adams, 65, created the comic strip in 1989 and its success led to it being turned into an animated television series.
The comic strip revolves around Dilbert, an engineer with poor social skills, and his dog, Dogbert.
Through Dilbert’s eyes, the cartoonist satirized different situations in the world of work for years, from excessive corporate bureaucracy to difficult relationships with the boss or the bonds established between employees.