An editorial cartoonist who has been working at the same newspaper for 21 years, was fired for producing a cartoon that called out Monsanto and Big Agriculture for their profits.
Farm News, a local Iowa newspaper, fired Rick Friday after his cartoon offended Big Ag and seed dealers, causing them to lose advertising revenue.
The following cartoon depicts two farmers discussing profit in farming, with one farmer pointing out that “the CEOs of Monsanto, DuPont, Pioneer, and John Deere” made more money than 2,129 Iowa farmers.
Friday was fired after the cartoon ran at the end of April, the reasons given that “in the eyes of some, Big Ag cannot be criticized or poked fun at.”
During an interview, Friday called the fine “corporate censorship” and stands by his cartoon, stating “It’s our constitutional right to free speech and our constitutional right to free press.” He also ran the cartoon, along with a statement, on his Facebook page:
Now Friday is using his new viral fame to run more cartoons and spread the truth about “how fragile our rights to free speech and free press really are in this country.”
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