Latest Stories- US publishers drop Dilbert office satire cartoon over ‘racist’ comments by creator | Ents & Arts News

Several US media publishers are dropping the Dilbert comic strip after its creator described black people as members of "a racist hate group".Several media officials denounced the

comments by creator Scott Adams as racist, hateful and discriminatory. Dilbert is a long-running comic strip poking fun at office culture.In an episode of the YouTube show Real

Coffee with Scott Adams, Mr Adams referenced a Rasmussen Reports survey that asked whether people agreed with the statement: "It's OK to be white."Most agreed, but Mr Adams noted

26% of black respondents disagreed and others were not sure. The Anti-Defamation League says the phrase was popularised in 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the 4chan

discussion board, but then began being used by white supremacists.Mr Adams, who is white, repeatedly referred to people who are black as members of a "hate group" or a "racist hate

group" and said he would no longer "help black Americans".He urged white people "to get the hell away from black people".Read more:Black people seven times more likely to die after

being restrained by policeStudy finds denying existence of structural racism is linked to anti-black prejudice The backlashThe San Antonio Express-News newspaper, which is part of

Hearst Newspapers, said it will drop the Dilbert comic strip from Monday "because of hateful and discriminatory public comments by its creator".The USA Today Network tweeted to say

it will also stop publishing Dilbert "due to recent discriminatory comments by its creator".The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and other publications that are part of Advance Local

media also announced they are dropping Dilbert."This is a decision based on the principles of this news organisation and the community we serve," wrote Chris Quinn, editor of The

Plain Dealer."We are not a home for those who espouse racism. We certainly do not want to provide them with financial support."Christopher Kelly, vice president of content for NJ

Advance Media, wrote the news organisation believes in "the free and fair exchange of ideas," but said "when those ideas cross into hate speech, a line must be drawn."