http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000999585
Newspapers React Differently to 'Poo' in 'Prickly City' than 'Turd
Blossom' in 'Doonesbury'
By Dave Astor
July 28, 2005
NEW YORK
Is "poo" a less offensive term than "turd"?
Is tweaking a liberal Democrat like Howard Dean more acceptable to
some newspaper editors than tweaking conservative Republicans like
George W. Bush and Karl Rove?
Whatever the reason, no newspapers -- to Universal Press Syndicate's
knowledge -- pulled or edited Wednesday's "Prickly City" strip that
used the word "poo."
Ten to 12 papers pulled or edited Tuesday and Wednesday's "Doonesbury"
comic mentioning "Turd Blossom" -- Bush's nickname for Rove (E&P
Online, July 26).
Meanwhile, a CNN.com poll showed most people think newspapers should
not have dropped those two "Doonesbury" strips.
Scott Stantis, whose 2004-launched "Prickly City" comic runs in
75-plus papers, had his Winslow animal character say in Wednesday's
strip:
"Why do you dislike Howard Dean so much, Carmen?"
She replies:
"Believe it or not, Winslow, I want a two-sided debate of ideas. An
adult voice to thoughtfully and vigorously challenge the majority
party. Not some freak-show monkey boy who throws his own poo."
To which Winslow says:
"You don't watch a lot of cable news, do you?"
After seeing that strip, a reader wrote a letter that was posted last
night on Poynter.org's Romenesko site.
He said, in part:
"I hope the newspaper editors who've killed this week's 'Doonesbury'
for using the phrase 'Turd Blossom' have also, for consistency's sake,
killed [Wednesday's] 'Prickly City.'"
That didn't appear to happen.
Another possible reason why the one-year-old "Prickly City" was
apparently unscathed is that it has a lot fewer clients to potentially
pull or edit it than the 1,400 clients running the 35-year-old
"Doonesbury."
The CNN.com poll, as of late this morning, shows 121,939 votes (81%)
against and 28,028 votes (19%) in favor of newspapers dropping the two
"Doonesbury" strips that mentioned "Turd Blossom."
"Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau continued the Rove sequence
Thursday without the "Turd Blossom" nickname.
In the Universal comic, Bush says to Rove:
"Here's the bottom line, Karl. If the worst is already out, then I'll
do something to show my confidence in you, maybe give you a freedom
medal. On the other hand, if you're indicted for violating national
security, well, that's a very different matter!"
As Rove says, "Yes, sir, I under--,"
Bush adds:
"How does Chief Justice Rove sound to you?"
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The Turd Blossom Gift Shop
http://www.cafepress.com/thewhitehouse/438933
Harry
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