Palm Beach Post Fires Editor Over Controversial Cartoon

FLORIDA – The Palm Beach Post fired Editorial Page Editor Tony Doris after the publication of a syndicated cartoon by Jeff Danziger, which sparked accusations of antisemitism. The cartoon, published on January 26, depicted Israeli soldiers stepping over Palestinian bodies with the headline, “Some Israeli Hostages Are Home After Over a Year of Merciless War,” and the words “Watch your step.” The bodies were labeled “Over 40 thousand Palestinians killed.”

The cartoon drew swift condemnation from the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, which argued it trivialized the suffering of Israeli hostages and perpetuated dangerous antisemitic tropes, including a modern-day “blood libel.” In response, Gannett, the parent company of The Palm Beach Post, fired Doris on February 17 for violating editorial standards, although Doris defended the cartoon as critical of war, not antisemitism.

The controversy led to a meeting between Gannett executives and local Jewish leaders. During the February 13 meeting, Gannett executives apologized for the cartoon and agreed to explore antisemitism media training for their Florida newsrooms. Doris, who had worked at the paper for 20 years, expressed frustration, stating he was suspended and excluded from the discussions that ultimately led to his termination.

Doris had previously faced scrutiny for a draft editorial in 2020, which Gannett deemed as violating their policy of not endorsing presidential candidates. The firing over the cartoon adds to ongoing concerns about editorial independence at the newspaper.