• by Ray Schultz , February 26, 2023

Newspaper publishers are forcefully distancing themselves from racist comments made online last week by Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams. 

"Dilbert," a longstanding comic that pokes fun at office life, has been dropped by the USA Today Network, the Washington Post, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times and other publications.  

Adams reportedly said in a YouTube video that ”the best advice I can give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people. Just get the f—k away.” 

Gannett Co. promptly dropped the strip throughout the USA Today Network.  

“Recent discriminatory comments by the creator, Scott Adams, have influenced our decision to discontinue publishing his comic,” Gannett said. “While we respect and encourage free speech, his views do not align with our editorial or business values as an organization.”

Chris Quinn, vice president of content for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, wrote, “This is not a difficult decision. “We are not a home for those who espouse racism.” 

It is not clear what the financial impact of these decisions will be on either side. 

The Washington Post reports that Elon Musk, now owner of Twitter, seemed to defend Adams, tweeting that the media is actually “racist against whites & Asians,” The Washington Post reports.  

Adams had contended that almost 50% of Black people disagree with the statement, “It’s okay to be white.” This phrase is a hate symbol, the Anti-Defamation League said.