About That New Yorker Cover
Pew's just released weekly news interest index survey included some questions about the controversial New Yorker cover that filled up so much press time last week.
By creating such a stir, the cover certainly slipped into the public consciousness more than the typical New Yorker caricature. Fully 51 percent of those polled by Pew said they had seen the cover art, far far more than the just over a million people who subscribe to the magazine.
Among those who reported having seen the cover itself, 50 percent said it was OK for the New Yorker to publish it; 45 percent disagreed. More than half, 54 percent found it "offensive" and 37 percent "racist."
But perhaps a bigger indictment of the magazine's effort at satire: Just 36 percent found the cover "clever" and fewer, 27 percent said it was "funny."
On each of these questions, there was a big divide between Democrats and Republicans. For example, 40 percent of Republicans called the cover clever, about double the number of Democrats who thought so (22 percent); 48 percent of independents found it so.
The full report is here.
By Jon Cohen |
July 24, 2008; 4:47 PM ET
Polls
Previous: Obama in Berlin |
Next: Obama's Religion
Posted by: Gary Mauer | July 26, 2008 9:41 AM
Humor has always been means to disguise racist attitudes. I am a regular reader of the New Yorker who was deeply disappointed in this editorial failure. Expressing opinions about the racist depiction of Senator Obama and his wife is in no way similar to the protest that arose regarding the depiction of the prophet Muhammad. This is still a country that allows free speech. Expressing an opinion about the content to a magazine cover is not the same as sending out threats of harm towards the photographer or the editor. It may be easier for some people if they were able to exercise their right of free "hateful" speech without challenge. But that is not how a democracy works. No one is claiming that the New Yorker did not have the right to print the cover. However, citizens have the right and duty to comment on the nature and impact of the failed satire.
Posted by: Linda Taylor | July 28, 2008 12:19 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
The funniest thing about the New Yorker cover was the frenzied protestations of Obama and the Obamites that worship him.
Reminds me of the Islamo-wackos that riot and murder over cartoons that make fun of Islam.
There is a lot of similarity here.