US publishers remove Dilbert cartoon after creator’s ‘racist’ comments

Several media officials denounced the comments by Dilbert creator Scott Adams as racist, hateful, and discriminatory and said they would no longer provide a platform for his work.

Andrews McMeel Syndication, which distributes Dilbert, did not immediately respond Saturday to requests for comment from Mr. Adams or the distributor about his comments. Dilbert is a long-running comic that pokes fun at office space culture.

The backlash began after an episode last week of the YouTube show Real Coffee with Scott Adams.

Among other topics, Adams referenced a Rasmussen Reports poll that asked if people agreed with the statement “It’s okay to be white.”

Most agreed, but Adams noted that 26% of black respondents disagreed and others were unsure.

The Anti-Defamation League says the phrase was popularized in 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the 4chan discussion forum, but later began to be used by some white supremacists.

Adams, who is white, repeatedly referred to black people as members of a “hate group” or a “racist hate group” and said he would no longer “help black Americans.”

He urged whites to “stay away from blacks.”

The San Antonio Express-News, part of the Hearst Newspapers, said Saturday it is pulling the Dilbert comic strip, effective Monday, “due to hateful and discriminatory public comments by its creator.”

The USA Today Network tweeted Friday that it will also stop publishing Dilbert “due to recent discriminatory comments by his creator.”

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and other publications that are part of the Advance Local media also announced that they are removing Dilbert.

“This is a decision based on the principles of this news organization and the community we serve,” wrote Chris Quinn, editor of The Plain Dealer.

“We are not a home for those who advocate racism. We certainly don’t want to give them financial support.”

Christopher Kelly, vice president of content for NJ Advance Media, wrote that the news organization believes in “the free and fair exchange of ideas.”

“But when those ideas intersect with hate speech, a line must be drawn,” Kelly wrote.

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