Posted on 09/29/2001 5:34:53 PM PDT by Incorrigible
GINA LUBRANO / THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
By Readers Representative
September 24, 2001
When San Diego Union-Tribune editorial cartoonist Steve Breen sat at his drawing board the day following the terrorist attack, he was angry. "I wanted us to strike back as soon as we knew who did it."
The cartoon born out of that anger showed a burly American bald eagle sharpening its claws. It mirrored the angst of many Americans and service personnel from Camp Pendleton to the Pentagon and beyond.
"That's my pure emotion there in the cartoon," said Breen, who was awarded the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for a series of cartoons for the Asbury Park Press in New Jersey. Breen joined the Union-Tribune in July.
His first cartoon after the attack showed the Statue of Liberty weeping and also drew reader response, but the outpouring came over the American eagle cartoon.
Since its publication on Sept. 13, requests have come from from people who have seen it either in newspapers or on the Internet. One man wanted to use it for a tattoo; another on his Hummer. Requests came to reproduce it on mugs, for embroidery patterns, and on T-shirts to raise funds for the attack victims. A request even came from the Hard Rock Cafe.
Bill Osborne, senior editor for opinion, said the Union-Tribune is carefully screening all requests. Breen, Osborne and Editor Karin Winner are adamant that it not appear that the Union-Tribune is profiting from the disaster by allowing indiscriminate use of the cartoon.
Osborne said other than newspapers, he has given permission to reuse the cartoon only to the military with the caveat that the image not be changed and not used for profit. Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada has placed it on its internal Web site; a Camp Pendleton major is planning to make poster-sized reproductions for his squadron, and the Eagles squadron at Naval Air Station Lemoore is putting it on T-shirts as is the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Force Base in Japan.
Copley News Service, which syndicates Breen to other publications, also sent the cartoon to an Army lieutenant colonel who told The Associated Press he encountered "a putrid blast of black smoke" when he attempted to rescue some of the injured at the Pentagon. Lt. Col. Tom Cleary, who worked in the Army's budget division, said he wanted to reproduce it to lift the spirits of his colleagues. Breen is also planning to send him a signed copy.
Requests to reprint cartoons are not without precedent, but there was another kind of call to this office last week that is rare. Readers, who know they may call the number at the bottom of this page when they're angry or question content of news stories in The San Diego Union-Tribune, phoned and wrote to say thanks for running the poster of the American flag on Sept. 14.
Response was so positive from readers that a second flag was included with yesterday's newspaper, including the Bulldog edition available Saturday. As with the first printing, copies of the flag also were distributed free at local malls.
Some readers said they were touched to find Old Glory in their newspapers. As one reader so poignantly put it, "you gave me something to smile about for the first time since Tuesday." Others who called to say thanks included people who could not get out to buy flags.
The Union-Tribune flag is posted in the windows of homes in various neighborhoods, businesses and cars. What is striking to me as I walk around my neighborhood that is festooned with red and white and blue is the number of people who find one Old Glory is not enough. Some people have cloth flags, but also display the paper flag printed by the Union-Tribune. Others have smaller flags stuck in their lawns. One enterprising Mission Valley apartment dweller didn't have a flag at all, but displayed red, white and blue towels instead.
One week after the attack, publisher David C. Copley announced to readers on the front page that beginning that day "and continuing indefinitely, the American flag will be be part of the Union-Tribune's nameplate in honor of the victims of last week's attacks and in recognition of our nation's resolve to defeat terrorism."
Again, readers called or wrote to say thank you.
Gina Lubrano's column commenting on the media appears Mondays. It is the policy of The San Diego Union-Tribune to correct all errors. To discuss accuracy or fairness in the news, please write to Gina Lubrano, readers representative, Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191, or telephone (619) 293-1525. Send e-mail to:
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Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
I'm sure more than a few of these requesters saw this cartoon on FReeRepublic.com first. When Steve Breen moved to San Diego from New Jersey, I had to write the webmaster to make sure they displayed his cartoons on the web. I'm glad they did!
I know you've all seen it before but here it is again. Click the eagle to go to the Union Tribune's Steve Breen cartoon index.
And here's his latest:
On a related note, I'd like to see stores selling flags require buyers to pay a donation to the relief fund (maybe $10-$20 or so) in addition to the cost of the flag. Then they'd not be seen as greedy (as they would if they just upped the price) but they might have inventory for more than 20 minutes.
Is this the eagle you are talking about?
Yes, I did see the Manhattan-as-the-Arizona cartoon. Striking image, and it's one of my favorites from the recent coverage. It ran September 14 and it's still in the Ramirez archives in the latimes.com editorial section if anybody's interested. Mike Shelton at the Orange County Register's done several good ones lately as well.
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