Pittsburgh cartoonist Rob Rogers became the most famous editorial cartoonist in the country last year when he was fired from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette after 25 years by his right-wing publisher for drawing too many anti-Trump cartoons, a story he recounted in a comic for The Nib.
We were happy to let Rob draw Trump roasting the Constitution in a new comic for us last week — we actively encourage such things! Newspaper publishers are censorious maniacs, so we have to build our own outlet for great, critical political cartoons.
We interviewed Rob Rogers below about his life after staff cartooning.
The Nib: So Rob, how are things going with early retirement?
Rogers: Things are actually going very well. I am still drawing for syndication, taking freelance jobs here and there and promoting a new book. The public support has been amazing. I have a dedicated group of fans on my Patreon page helping ease the loss of salary. I am humbled and honored to announce that the Emerson Collective awarded me a 2019 fellowship to continue my work. Lastly, this kind of freedom is giving me time to contemplate my next project while continuing to do the work I love.
You’ve been cartoning a long time, with 25 years at the Post-Gazette. Have other administrations been this crazy and we’re just forgetting?
I have drawn cartoons about every President from Ronald Reagan — my career began at the Pittsburgh Press during his 1984 re-election campaign — to Donald Trump. I can say without hesitation that 45’s is the craziest administration I have ever covered. Sure, Reagan had Iran-Contra and George W. Bush started two wars, and perhaps those will have more of a lasting negative impact on the United States, but no president has attacked democracy and the rule of law like Trump.
He has openly attacked the free press, not accepted science and U.S. intelligence agencies. He has alienated our allies while embracing murdering dictators. He is by far the most racist, xenophobic, misogynistic president I have ever covered.
You were fired for doing too many cartoons critical of Trump. Do you think there’s an increased danger to the press under this administration?
I do. Every time he openly attacks the press and calls them names like “enemy of the people” or “failing New York Times” or “fake news”, certain people become numb to the outrageous claims and begin to accept it as truth over time. It is very dangerous.
At my paper, the publisher has rewarded the editor who fired me (who has also been accused of writing racist editorials) by making him Executive Editor of the entire paper. I believe this would not have happened without the rise of Trump.
Your former publisher was recently alleged to have been on a drunken tirade in the newsroom. You sure you don’t want your job back?
My heart goes out to his young daughter who was forced to be a part of his public meltdown. He should be ashamed of himself for putting her through that. I also feel bad for my former colleagues, amazing journalists still doing great work, who now have to exist in such a toxic environment. As for Block himself, I will let others comment on his fitness, but I will remind everyone what he said about me after the firing: “he’s too angry for his own health!”
Have you felt more free in your work since you are now working for The People of the Internet?
Absolutely! Working without editors can be a little scary, like free-climbing without a safety rope, but it is also exhilarating. If the online comments are any indication, the readers like my new freedom too!
What are you sick of drawing?
I am sick of drawing cartoons about mass shootings. This is a problem that does not exist in other countries. How many ways can you say this is horrific and should not be happening here? And yet we need to keep drawing cartoons about it because the minute we don’t, the gun lobby wins.
Before the Trump cartoons getting killed, what was the previous biggest controversy in your career?
Depends on your definition of controversy. Cartoons about the Catholic Church, whether they’re about the Pope, birth control, the role of women or the many pedophile priest scandals, were always guaranteed to produce the most negative reaction. Pittsburgh is a very Catholic city. The Bishop often called the publisher to complain. But those were kind of expected.
My most recent trouble was a cartoon I drew in 2014 about Gaza and Israel. The cartoon was seen by some as anti-Semitic because it criticized Israel and because some of the imagery (namely, the way I draw noses on all my characters) was misinterpreted. The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh called for an apology and my firing. The paper defended me (those were the days) but let them print an op-ed instead.
Many defended me. Here is one example.
The reason I bring this up is because, although that cartoon did not get me fired from the paper, it did get me fired from a freelance gig. In 2007, I began drawing a monthly health care-related cartoon for a medical journal. My late father, a member of this medical group, was really proud when they asked for me personally to do a cartoon for the journal. My political cartoons had nothing to do with the cartoons I drew for the journal. They were very separate. And yet, when the story of the Gaza cartoon hit social media, someone on the board of the medical group raised concerns about the story and I was shown the door. My guess is they never even saw the Gaza cartoon, just the story accusing me of anti-Semitism. I’m glad my dad did not have to witness that. He would’ve been ashamed of his colleagues.
What’s your current dream project?
I love the “idea” of drawing a graphic novel. I am not sure I have the patience for it or the right story. But it feels like a thing I’d like to try.
When did you start drawing comics?
I can’t remember a time I did not draw cartoons. When I was old enough to grasp a pencil I would copy characters out of the Sunday funny pages. When I was ten I began keeping notebooks of cartoon stories I would make up. Later, I discovered Mad Magazine and began copying Jack Davis. Finally, when I went to college the school paper needed an editorial cartoonist. I had never really tried it before so I gave it a shot. The rest is history.
