Editor,
I am writing to express concern and displeasure with the patently derogatory and overtly political cartoon by Tim Campbell you chose to print in the Jan. 15 edition of Current in Westfield. From a quick online check, this isn’t the first time you have been called out on this. Three weeks ago, another reader expressed concern about another Campbell cartoon deriding Joe Biden. Campbell has a long history of promoting significantly right-leaning viewpoints.
It is interesting that on the same page as the recent cartoon featuring U.S. Rep. (Alexandria) Ocasio-Cortez on a dunce cap, under Policies, you mention for guest columns that they: “Should address the whole of Current’s readership, not simply special interest groups…”. As an aside, Ocasio-Cortez has a degree from Boston University. She clearly is anything but a dunce. Being progressive doesn’t mean she’s not intelligent.
It is apparent that the ownership at Current feels free to promote their conservative agenda without providing a progressive counterbalance. I assure you that “the whole of Current readership” contains a variety of viewpoints, including progressive ones. Perhaps it’s time to find a less inflammatory politicized cartoonist. Maybe consider avoiding the political arena altogether. I would suggest that you best serve the readership by keeping your political leanings to yourself and serve the public with unbiased reporting of the news.
Bruce W. Van Natta, Westfield
