Latest news with #cartoon
The Independent
a day ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Newspaper apologises to MP for ‘racist' cartoon
The Observer newspaper issued an apology and removed a cartoon after Zarah Sultana accused it of racism. The controversial cartoon depicted Ms Sultana on a raisin box, which she described as 'brownfacing' and mocking her surname. Ms Sultana criticised The Observer's apology as 'mealy-mouthed' for not explicitly labelling the cartoon as racist or directly naming her. The cartoon also featured Jeremy Corbyn with communist symbols, satirising the new political party he is forming with Ms Sultana. Ms Sultana resigned from the Labour Party earlier this month to establish a new political party with Mr Corbyn.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
The Observer apologises for ‘racist' cartoon of Zarah Sultana
The Observer has apologised and taken down a cartoon portraying Zarah Sultana after the former Labour MP accused the publication of racism. The newspaper's cartoon of the week depicted Ms Sultana on the front of a box of raisins in the style of the brand Sun-Maid as part of a mock invite to a Jeremy Corbyn party following news that the two were forming their own political party. Ms Sultana said of the caricature: 'Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Exactly what you'd expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP' in reference to cartoonist Saffron Swire, daughter of Sir Hugo Swire. She later called the cartoon 'racist trash' in a separate post. In response, a spokesperson from The Observer said on Monday: 'We are genuinely sorry for any offence caused and we are in the process of removing the cartoon.' Ms Swire's cartoon depicted Mr Corbyn dressed in a bright red jumpsuit with hammer and sickle decorations, in which the former labour leader said from a speech bubble: 'Let's paint the town red!' As well as the depiction of Ms Sultana on the raisin box, there was a picture of Karl Marx 's Das Kapital in the cartoon, with the slogan 'with goodie bags for the many (not the few)'. Ms Sultana responded to The Observer's apology, calling it 'mealy-mouthed.' She added it 'refuses to call it what it is: racism. 'It doesn't even have the decency to name me, let alone offer a direct apology,' she continued. 'Supine journalism from The Observer, but sadly that's what we've come to expect from the mainstream media.' Ms Sultana resigned from Labour earlier this month to form a political party with Mr Corbyn, which still has no name. Rumours suggested early on that the Islington North MP had not fully committed to join after he was initially quiet. Mr Corbyn broke his silence to declare: 'Real change is coming. 'One year on from the election, this Labour government has refused to deliver the change people expected and deserved. Poverty, inequality and war are not inevitable. Our country needs to change direction, now. 'Congratulations to Zarah Sultana on her principled decision to leave the Labour Party. I am delighted that she will help us build a real alternative.' He added: 'The democratic foundations of a new kind of political party will soon take shape. Discussions are ongoing – and I am excited to work alongside all communities to fight for the future people deserve. 'Together, we can create something that is desperately missing from our broken political system: hope.' Ms Sultana had the whip removed from her while she was a Labour MP last year after voting to scrap the two child benefit cap.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Zarah Sultana accuses Observer cartoon of ‘brownfacing'
Zarah Sultana has accused a cartoonist for The Observer of 'brownfacing'. The independent MP, who resigned from Labour earlier this month, attacked cartoonist Saffron Swire over her depiction of Ms Sultana on the front of a raisin box. She accused the artist, who is the daughter of Sir Hugo Swire, the former Tory MP, of nepotism and being a 'Right-wing hack'. For The Observer's cartoon of the week, Ms Swire produced a mock invite to Jeremy Corbyn's party, complete with the former Labour leader dressed in a bright red Soviet 70s jumpsuit. 'Let's paint the town red!' a speech bubble reads, while the RSVP address lists the House of Commons. Ms Sultana, who had the Labour whip suspended in July 2024 after voting to scrap the two child benefit cap, resigned from Labour this month to form a breakaway hard-Left political party. She announced that Mr Corbyn would co-lead the new party, which still has no name, though reports suggested the move had caught the Islington North MP off guard. Ms Swire's cartoon invitation also promises goodie bags 'for the many (not the few)', emblazoned with a hammer and sickle. The bags are shown to contain a box of 'Zarah Sultanas', modelled in the style of a Sun-Maid red raisin box, and a copy of Karl Marx's Das Kapital. Responding to the cartoon published on X, the MP for Coventry South wrote: 'Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Brownfacing a box of raisins and mocking my surname. Exactly what you'd expect from a right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP. — Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) July 20, 2025 'Exactly what you'd expect from a Right-wing hack who is the daughter of an aristocrat and ex-Tory MP.' Sir Hugo, the former Minister for Northern Ireland Office under David Cameron, was appointed as a life peer in 2022, becoming Baron Swire of Down St Mary in County Devon. The former MP served as representative for East Devon from 2001 to 2019. His daughter, Saffron, has written or produced cartoons for Prospect, Tortoise, The Economist, Art UK and the New European, as well as The Spectator. Sun-Maid, founded in California in 1912, has become the world's most recognisable raisin brand. The woman wearing a red bonnet holding a pallet of grapes was based on a painting of model Lorraine Collett by artist Fanny Scafford. Ms Sultana was born in Birmingham to a family which had migrated from Kashmir. She set up her hitherto unnamed Left-wing party on July 3, vowing to lead a cohort of independent MPs and activists against Sir Keir Starmer's benefit cuts and against what she described as 'genocide' in Gaza. Leading Corbynites rule themselves out Leading Corbynites John McDonnell and Diane Abbott were swift to rule themselves out, while the former Labour leader took his time to offer lukewarm praise for Ms Sultana's bravery in breaking away but neglected to directly confirm his co-leadership. Last week, Ms Abbott was suspended again from the Labour party after she doubled down on her claim that Jews experience racism differently to black people. The hard-Left MP had been suspended in March 2023 for claiming that 'white people with points of difference' such as Jewish people, Travellers or Irish people are not 'all their lives subject to racism'. Last week, Ms Abbott said, in an interview with the BBC, that it was 'silly' to liken racism based on skin colour to racism faced by Jewish and Traveller communities. Responding to Ms Abbott's suspension, Ms Sultana said: 'I stand with Diane Abbott'. The Guardian, which sold The Observer to Tortoise in December 2024, was previously accused of racism for its cartoonist Martin Rowson's depiction of outgoing BBC boss Richard Sharp. The Left-wing newspaper was forced to apologise and remove the cartoonist's impression after it was widely condemned as antisemitic.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper cross the Rubicon – in a canoe: the Stephen Collins cartoon
Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper cross the Rubicon – in a canoe: the Stephen Collins cartoon
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Bluey' Has Been Streamed Almost Twice As Much As ‘Squid Game' This Year
The popular children's cartoon 'Bluey' has been streamed for more than 25 billion minutes so far this year and outranks some of streaming's most popular new shows—including 'Squid Game,' 'Reacher' and 'The Night Agent'—on a recently released Nielsen list of the year's most-streamed programs. Bandit, Chilli. Bluey and Bingo. Ludo Studio 'Bluey,' which has more than 150 episodes available to watch on Disney+, has been viewed for 25.06 billion minutes since Dec. 29, according to Nielsen. The show, an animated series produced by Australia-based Ludo Studio about a family of dogs, was the most popular watch of any original or acquired title across a dozen streaming platforms, Nielsen said, and beat out viral new hits like 'Squid Game' to reign supreme. Nielsen's latest data shows that kids programming is a gold mine for streamers, with "Spongebob Squarepants' and its 323-episode library ranking No. 6 among the year's most-streamed shows, with 16.7 billion viewing minutes on Paramount++. Six of the top nine most-streamed movies of the year so far are children's titles, and they accounted for nine of the top 20 overall. 'Moana 2,' "Despicable Me 4,' "Moana" and '"The Wild Robot" were all among the top 5 most-streamed movies. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here : "Bluey" — 25.1 billion minutes viewed "Grey's Anatomy" — 22.6 billion minutes viewed "NCIS" — 19.1 billion minutes viewed "Family Guy" — 19 billion minutes viewed "Bob's Burgers" — 17.1 billion minutes viewed 'Spongebob Squarepants" — 16.7 billion minutes viewed "The Big Bang Theory" – 16.6 billion minutes viewed "The Rookie" — 15.6 billion minutes viewed "Squid Game" — 15 billion minutes viewed "Law & Order: SVU" — 14.5 billion minutes viewed "Reacher" – 13.3 billion minutes viewed "American Dad!" — 13 billion minutes viewed "Criminal Minds" — 12.6 billion minutes viewed "The Night Agent" — 12.2 billion minutes viewed "Supernatural" — 11.9 billion minutes viewed "The White Lotus" — 11.5 billion minutes viewed "Friends" — 11.4 billion minutes viewed "Gunsmoke" — 11 billion minutes viewed "Young Sheldon" — 10.6 billion minutes viewed "South Park" — 10.5 billion minutes viewed "Moana 2" — 7.2 billion minutes viewed "Despicable Me 4" — 6.2 billion minutes viewed "Back In Action" — 5.3 billion minutes viewed "Moana" — 3.8 billion minutes viewed "The Wild Robot" — 3.8 billion minutes viewed "Sonic The Hedgehog 2" — 3.7 billion minutes viewed "The Electric State" — 3.3 billion minutes viewed "Wicked" — 3.2 billion minutes viewed "Frozen" — 3.1 billion minutes viewed "The Accountant 2" — 3 billion minutes viewed "Kraven The Hunter" — 2.97 billion minutes viewed "Gladiator II" — 2.8 billion minutes viewed "Twisters" — 2.78 billion minutes viewed "Nonnas" — 2.7 billion minutes viewed "The Life List" — 2.69 billion minutes viewed "Super Mario Bros. Movie" — 2.66 billion minutes viewed "Straw" — 2.65 billion minutes viewed "Encanto" — 2.62 billion minutes viewed "Lilo & Stitch" (2002) — 2.61 billion minutes viewed "Den of Thieves 2: Pantera" — 2.6 billion minutes viewed 20. That's how many episodes have been released of "The Night Agent" on Netflix, giving it the smallest episode library of any show on the most-popular list. While some of the most popular shows on streaming have massive episode libraries like "Gunsmoke," "Grey's Anatomy," "NCIS" and "Family Guy," all of which have more than 400 episodes each, several series punched above their weight to score their spots on the top 20 list, including "The White Lotus," (21 episodes), "Squid Game" (22) and "Reacher" (24). "Gunsmoke," the longest running Western on television, which ended its 20-season run in 1975, broke into the top 20 most-streamed shows, beating "Young Sheldon" and "South Park." The series, which stars the iconic character U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, was added to Paramount Global's Pluto TV and Peacock streaming services earlier this year. The popularity of 'Gunsmoke' is thanks in part to a resurgence in Westerns brought about by 'Yellowstone' and in part because of its feel-good lead with a strong moral compass, Neal Sabin, vice chairman of Weigel Broadcasting, told the Los Angeles Times. 'Matt Dillon represents a lot of what we don't have right now,' Sabin said. Tangent 'Gunsmoke' may be one of the oldest television shows to enjoy a streaming resurgence, but it isn't the first to make a comeback long after its original run ended. 'Friends,' which is this year's 17th most-watched show so far and commonly ranks among the most popular on modern streaming platforms, ended 21 years ago. "The Office' (ended in 2013) and "Parks and Recreation" (ended in 2015) are commonly streamed 'comfort shows,' as are 90s hits "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" and "The X Files." Further Reading Forbes 'Squid Game' Smashes Netflix Records: No. 1 In 93 Countries By Mary Whitfill Roeloffs Forbes A New Show Is Coming To 'The Big Bang Theory' Universe By Mary Whitfill Roeloffs Forbes Streaming Surpasses Linear TV For First Time In Latest Nielsen Report By Howard Homonoff Forbes How To Watch The DCU's 'Superman' By Monica Mercuri
