Serena Williams cartoon ‘not racist’, Australia press watchdog says
- Australian Press Council accepted the Herald Sun’s argument that the cartoon was in response to Williams’ “outburst” on the court at the US Open final
The News Corp cartoon came under global condemnation in September last year for publishing what some saw as a racist, sexist cartoon.
“[The Herald Sun] said it was depicting the moment when, in a highly animated tantrum, Ms Williams smashed a racquet and loudly abused the chair umpire, calling him a thief, a liar and threatening that he would never umpire her matches again,” the council said.
“It said it wanted to capture the on-court tantrum of Ms Williams using satire, caricature, exaggeration and humour, and the cartoon intended to depict her behaviour as childish by showing her spitting a pacifier out while she jumps up and down.”
The Murdoch press has strongly defended Knight and his cartoon. The executive chairman of News Corp Australia, Michael Miller, said criticism of Knight “shows the world has gone too PC”.
The editor of the Herald Sun, Damon Johnston, has said it had nothing to do with race or gender.