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MWC association with cartoonist Ben Heine | | Ben Heine/ Media With Conscience |
Sirs, I was surprised to notice that Media with a Conscience, which I read on a regular basis, has been, for a while, featuring cartoons by Ben Heine. I am writing to you to ask you to reconsider your association with him. Let me explain who Ben Heine is. Ben Heine is a Belgian cartoonist in his early 20s whose main claim to fame is to have been the only Belgian artist (by the way, one among only a handful of European and US artists) who took part in the infamous 2006 Teheran holocaust cartoon contest. The Economist described the contest, on 14 September 2006, in terms that perfectly reflect Mr. Heine's 'art': "are wantonly anti-Semitic. The imagery is grotesque and predictable: Stars of David morphing into swastikas; the Statue of Liberty giving a Nazi salute. Subtle, the cartoons are not". The full spectrum of European media from right to left critised the contest. Heine's idea of art is to protray politicians with bananas, bombs and phaluses coming out of their heads, or with Hitler's moutaches – indeed, subtle they are not, coarse they are ! Mr Heine relentlessly ads his own hate-filled cartoons to his website targeting, as his friend and fellow cartoonist Carlos Latuff (winner of the Teheran second Prize: 4000 $ + Trophy + Honorable Mention) puts it, 'the Zionist gang', i.e. the people of Israel are depicted as members of the Ku Klux Klan and Ben Heine as James Bond. One can be critical of Israel, but there is no need be vulgar and/or ridiculous. There is an abundance of talented cartoonists in Europe and elsewhere, and Ben Heine is not one of them. Media with a Conscience is a serious, reputable, informative media, but it gains nothing by associating itself with a cartoonist like Mr Heine. I was reassured to see that he does not show MWC on of his associates list (2 others are, and none is European).
Should you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me and I would be very happy to assist. I would be grateful for you comments on the above. For your convenience and to help you grasp what Heine stands for, I am attaching a number of his cartoons. I apologise for the shock some may cause. Yours sincerely,
P. Hauser (Brussels)
Dear P. Hauser: Following are a few thoughts in response to your e-mail of July 25 on the subject of cartoonist Ben Heine. I understand that similar, or identical, letters were sent by you to Mr. Shahram Vahdany, managing editor, and several other contributing editors and writers. It is very difficult for someone like me, an activist/advocacy writer whose writings are considered unpalatable – and non-publishable – in the mainstream corporate media, to identify with the idea that someone’s work (literary or artistic) is simply objectionable because it won’t be touched with a ten-foot pole by The Economist or any “reputable” European newspapers. My own experience trying to publish in Europe, in two languages I might add, is that self-censure is almost (not quite) as prevalent in European periodicals as it is in the United States. To me, MWC is a medium by which a few of us, hopefully many in the future, express our concerns about legal and civil rights issues; human rights, war and genocide; and economic and socio-political affairs. Each of us hopefully imparts a high level of experience and knowledge on the subject, always ready to defend our views and withstand the scrutiny of truth when challenged. At times we may be more passionate than that which is permitted in good journalism, but that is our own personal equalizer to “idealistic” contributory journalism… for in most cases, not only do we not get compensated for our work, but must subsidize it. I believe in true freedom of the press, acknowledging that there are times when blatant hate and lies, not opinions, must be curbed for the sake of truth and not any one individual or group. Truth stands on its own and is not endangered by what some may consider being in good or bad taste. Rest assured that at any time my writings are accompanied by cartoons repugnant to me, I will ask the publisher or editor to make amends. That has not been the case to date with any of Ben Heine’s cartoons. As for editorial policy on carrying Mr. Heine’s cartoons, that’s Mr. Vahdany’s privileged domain. To date I am satisfied that matters of this nature have been ethically and professionally handled extremely well. Respectfully yours,
Ben Tanosborn, MWC editor The notion of expressed concern in the letter: criticism of Israel equals anti-Semiticism it is simply nonsense. That stifles freedom of speech that universalizes criticism of the few, it allows no outlet for those who are represented by their leaders who speak and act in their name regardless of the heinous nature of their behavior. The cartoon is designed to force reflection on all people, on the Zionists for the suffering imposed by the occupation and oppression, on the Americans for supporting the minority that rules in Israel as the tanks provided by the US shows, on the world communities for doing nothing about that suffering, on Jews throughout the world for not making their voices heard to bring a stop to this infliction of pain, on Palestinians as well who must realize that they too can become perpetrators of like suffering the minute they become indifferent to the condition of others whoever they are, wherever they are. A powerful and respectful cartoon lets the suffering of humanity show in the depth of those eyes that bare the imprint of the tank and its cannon in reflection. There is absolutely no reason to condemn this piece. It like all the cartoons I have seen of Ben's expresses a universal truth behind a specific horrific act of a few. William Cook, MWC contributing editor The Ethics of Cartooning Cartoons are, by some, considered to "invoke not only truth but a higher artistic truth, above the ethical parameters of the printed word" (Fischer, 16), even if the facts are not consistent with their pictorial representation of the situation. Political cartoons have "the ethical imperative which lifts transitory journalism into transcending art" (Fischer, 3). Their methods of effecting public opinion and "altering for the better the course of human events" qualifies them to make statements in picture that would be considered false if they were statements in print. This difference highlights an important aspect of political cartooning--that the political cartoonist is not necessarily bound by the same ethical standards as journalists.
"Heine's idea of art is to portray politicians with bananas, bombs and phalluses coming out of their heads, or with Hitler's moustaches – indeed, subtle they are not, coarse they are! " -From the letter It is unreasonable to put a limitation on an artist's work, in defence of the politicians and head of states who act like Nazis. As a managing editor of this medium I am not only stand by all the content which has been produced and published in MWC, but also accept the full responsibility for the message that has been conveyed by us, including but not limited to art works, graphics and opinion pieces. However, there is also a particular relation between the author and an editorial cartoonist. The cartoonist not only has to satisfy the editorial policy, but also the writer whose work is accompanied by the cartoon. I also would like to refer the readers to an open letter by Ben Heine and a few other cartoonists concerning The Iranian cartoon contest. I do not have any reason to doubt the sincerity, which has been expressed by the authors. http://www.irancartoon.com/110/index3.htm Shahram Vahdany
Managing Editorial
Media With Conscience Refrences: Fischer, Roger A. Them Damned Pictures: Explorations in American Political Cartoon Art. Archon Books, 1996.
Press, Charles. The Political Cartoon.Fairleigh Dickinson, 1981. Recommend this article...
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Tags: Ben Tanosborn MWC Ben Heine William Cook Shahram Vahdany
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