Updated 03/28/2012 12:57 PM
Reaction to Daily Texan political cartoon goes viral
Public reaction to a cartoon in
The Daily Texan is going viral.
The comic satirizes the media coverage surrounding the controversial shooting of Trayvon Martin in Florida. Judging from comments on Daily Texan's website, reaction has been mostly negative.
It was so popular it threatened to crash The Daily Texan's website. The Texan pulled it down and then republished it.
In a statement from the university, Dr. Gregory Vincent, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement, writes:
"We embrace free speech on campus and encourage the open exchange of ideas, especially in our student media. However, we recognize that the cartoon published in today's Daily Texan was of questionable taste and was offensive to many members of the campus community.
The facts are still being gathered in the Trayvon Martin case, so I urge all members of the UT Austin community to refrain from making rash statements or judgments. As the nation continues to grapple with this tragic event and its implications, I ask everyone in the UT family to be civil and respectful toward one another."
“I apologize for what was in hindsight an ambiguous cartoon related to the Trayvon Martin shooting.
I intended to contribute thoughtful commentary on the media coverage of the incident, however this goal fell flat. I would like to make it explicitly clear that I am not a racist, and that I am personally appalled by the killing of Trayvon Martin. I regret any pain the wording or message of my cartoon may have caused.”