Bo Knows: 'Shoe' spoofs White House reporting

Because we here at Comic Riffs can usually laugh at journalism's foibles, we long appreciated the skewering of newspapers by the late, great Jeff MacNelly.

Which is why today, we pause to point out a "Shoe" worthy of the three-time Pulitzer winner himself.

Today, the cartoonist's successors in producing "Shoe" -- Chris Cassatt (his former cartooning assistant), Gary Brookins (who inherited MacNelly's "Pluggers") and Susie MacNelly (his last wife) -- have fun with modern reportage, as Perfesser Cosmo Fishhawk is hauled off to the pokey for refusing to reveal his sources.

In a nod to changing times, Fishhawk now writes for Treetops-Tattler.com, for which he broke a "story" about the real identity of Bo, the White House pooch. He wrote:

"An anonymous source has revealed this shocking fact. When Bo first entered the White House, he was covered with bugs. And we're not talking about the kind with wings and legs. We're talking ultra-sophisticated state-of-the-art listening devices."

Which pressed again to reveal his source, Fishhawk tries giving up the reporter's reliable friend: "Google."

"Shoe" -- created in 1977 by MacNelly, who died in 2000 -- offers Cosmo Fishhawk's stories at the strip's Treetops-Tattler.com.