Simpson Firing

[Kiah]

Any thoughts on World cartoonist Simpson's firing, or the Editorial Board's non-response?

quote:http://editorialcartoonists.com/news/article.cfm/521

November 14, 2005

Simpson Dismissed Over Plagiarism Charges

The Tulsa World last week dismissed David Simpson, its longtime editorial cartoonist, over plagiarism allegations involving a cartoon that was similar to one drawn by Bob Englehart in the Hartford Courant in 1981.

Englehart and the Courant notified an editor at the World this summer, as well as alerting the AAEC Notebook, but the Tulsa newspaper did not take action until a reporter discovered the Notebook article [http://www.editorialcartoonists.com/news/article.cfm/483/] on editorialcartoonists.com last week.

"After investigating this matter, we have learned that Dave Simpson did indeed re-create an editorial cartoon published in the Hartford Courant in 1981," Publisher Robert E. Lorton III said in an article that appeared on the front page of the World the day after Simpson was fired.

Lorton said he was saddened by the situation, the A1 story continued.

"Dave is a tremendous creative talent, and his cartoons have been enjoyed by our readers for years," he said. "However, plagiarism is the cardinal sin of a newsroom, and all those who are employed by us to gather, report or comment on the news are stewards of the public."

In his defense, Simpson said he found an unsigned copy of the cartoon in his creative files and mistakenly believed it was his own. He said he redrew the cartoon, which then was published in the June 7 edition of the Tulsa World.

Simpson, who, according to the World, was recently inducted into the Oklahoma Cartoonists Hall of Fame, joined the Tulsa World in 1992 after a long career with The Tulsa Tribune.

In an article that appeared in the Courant over the weekend, Englehart told Courant reporter Matt Eagan he brought the duplication to the attention of Courant editors in June. They notified the Tulsa World editorial staff in August but neither The Courant nor Englehart received an official response.

The World admitted in its front page story that its editorial staff did not initially report the problematic cartoon to the paper's ownership, and that the owners were not notified until last week when a reporter noticed the cartoons on the Internet.

"If this guy had been a reporter he would have been fired the next day," Englehart told the Courant. "He didn't even change the character to match his style. He just took my character. It's a shame, too, because he is a talented artist and a personable guy. Why he did this I'll never know."

Englehart said he was satisfied with the resolution.

— Sources: Hartford Courant, Tulsa World, Associated Press. J.P. Trostle contributed to this article.