Pat Oliphant - Controversial Cartoons

Controversial Cartoons

Oliphant's work, which from time to time employs ethnic caricatures, has been criticized occasionally. In 2001, the Asian American Journalists Association accused Oliphant of "cross the line from acerbic depiction to racial caricature". In 2005, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee expressed concern that some of Oliphant's caricatures were racist and misleading. In 2007, two Oliphant cartoons produced a similar response.

A cartoon about Israel's conflict with Hamas in Gaza sparked criticism amongst some American Jews. The Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, said the cartoon denigrates and demonizes Israel and mimics the Nazi propaganda. It called on The New York Times and other media groups to remove the cartoon from their Web sites.