The Long Island daily newspaper Newsday issued an apology Sunday to quell the firestorm of anger that erupted over an editorial cartoon it published in the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
The syndicated cartoon, drawn by Chip Bok, featured a bloodstained empty chair under a tent marked “Charlie Kirk” and “Prove Me Wrong.” The cartoon had an arrow from the words “Turning Point USA” to the chair.
“The unconscionable cartoon in Newsday trivializing the assassination of Charlie Kirk is so over the top despicable that it is shocking even for the majority of us who realized long ago that Newsday abandoned any pretension of fairness. Cancel Newsday!” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman posted on X.
The unconscionable cartoon in Newsday trivializing the assassination of Charlie Kirk is so over the top despicable that it is shocking even for the majority of us who realized long ago that Newsday abandoned any pretension of fairness.
Cancel Newsday! pic.twitter.com/hK8o6n9tj3— Bruce Blakeman (@NassauExec) September 14, 2025
Blakeman was not alone in expressing outrage.
“Newsday — the only daily paper for Long Island — has crossed a line. By publishing a vile cartoon about the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, the paper has mocked tragedy, stoked division, and poured gasoline on the flames of political violence,” Suffolk County Republican Party chairman Jesse Garcia said, according to the New York Post.
“This isn’t journalism. It’s a reckless, partisan attack that blames the victim, silences free speech, and shames everything this country should stand for,” Garcia continued.
Garcia demanded the cartoon be removed, Bok’s contract be severed, and the paper issue an apology.
Is the legacy media secretly celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk?
“Until these actions are taken, we call on advertisers and subscribers to boycott Newsday. Do not support a publication that normalizes hate and endangers lives,” he said.
A day later, he had most of what he demanded.
“On Saturday, Newsday published a syndicated editorial cartoon referring to the assassination of Charlie Kirk that was insensitive and offensive,” Newsday posted on X.
“We deeply regret this mistake and sincerely apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk and to all. We made an error in judgment. The cartoon has been removed from our digital platforms.”
But Newsday could not let it go without explaining that the cartoon’s intentions were good.
— Newsday (@Newsday) September 14, 2025
“In his illustration, Chip Bok used the name of Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, and the theme of his Utah event — ‘Prove Me Wrong’ — to suggest that Kirk’s assassination might be a turning point for healing our nation’s divide,” the paper wrote.
“The imagery was inappropriate and should never have been published in Newsday,” the statement concluded, adding a dose of contrition at the end of the statement.
Garcia accepted the apology, noting, “We hope this moment serves as a reminder to every newsroom in America that words and images matter.”
“Today, a little more than 19 hours after the statement from our Suffolk GOP condemning this disgraceful political cartoon, Newsday has publicly acknowledged its mistake, apologized to the Kirk family, its readers, and the broader public, and removed the cartoon from its platforms,” Garcia said.
Bok has not made any comment on the furor and did not respond to requests for comment, according to the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
