The New York Times on Wednesday published a lengthy second apology for printing what it said was an "appalling" political cartoon that employed anti-Semitic tropes and acknowledged its past failures to recognize and condemn anti-Semitism.
The Times' Editorial Board wrote that the paper's publishing of the cartoon – which portrayed a blind U.S. President Donald Trump wearing a kippah being led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as his guide dog donning a Star of David collar around his neck – was "evidence of a profound danger — not only of anti-Semitism but of numbness to its creep."
The Times said the cartoon, by Portuguese political cartoonist António Moreira Antunes, was selected for publication "from a syndication service by a production editor who did not recognize its anti-Semitism."
It wrote that the "ancient, enduring prejudice [of anti-Semitism] is once again working itself into public view and common conversation" and that "history teaches that the rise of extremism requires the acquiescence of broader society."
The Times also acknowledged its own ignominious history with anti-Semitism, admitting that during the 1930s and 1940s, "The Times was largely silent as anti-Semitism rose up and bathed the world in blood."
"That failure still haunts this newspaper," the editorial said.
The Times then took aim at Trump for failing to condemn anti-Semitism on the right wing of the political spectrum.
"As anti-Semitism has surged from the internet into the streets, President Trump has done too little to rouse the national conscience against it," the paper's editorial board wrote, accusing him of practicing "a politics of intolerance for diversity."
"Though he condemned the cartoon in The Times, he has failed to speak out against anti-Semitic groups like the white nationalists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017 chanting, 'Jews will not replace us.' He has practiced a politics of intolerance for diversity, and attacks on some minority groups threaten the safety of every minority group."
Trump, who has long branded The New York Times as biased against him, commented on the cartoon in a tweet that primarily condemned its coverage of his presidency.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS. Read more at https://www.i24news.tv/en.
