New Yorker's Obama cover sparks outrage

July 15, 2008

Controversy surrounds a cartoon on the cover of the latest issue of The New Yorker magazine, which portrays United States Presidential contender Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as terrorists.

In the cartoon, Obama dons a robe and turban, while Michelle is dressed in fatigues and carries a gun. The two are in the Oval Office giving each other a fist bump, a greeting which one Fox News Channel commentator has previously called a "terrorist fist jab", while an American flag burns in the fireplace in the background.

The New Yorker indicated that Barry Blitt's cartoon was intended to lampoon "the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama’s campaign." Editor David Remnick noted that satire is a useful tool in bringing sensitive issues to people's attention.

Statements from both Obama's campaign office and that of prospective Republican candidate John McCain, however, have condemned the cover as "tasteless and offensive".

The publication continues to defend its position that the cover is a work of satire.