In another bitter blow to journalism in Western Pennsylvania, the Post-Gazette’s new editorial team (based in Toledo, Ohio) are refusing to publish the latest editorial cartoons created by Pittsburgh based Rob Rogers. You can probably guess the content?

Rob Rogers is the award-winning editorial cartoonist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His cartoons have been vexing and entertaining readers in Pittsburgh since 1984. Syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, Rogers’ work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today and Newsweek, among many others.

Rogers’ cartoons are syndicated so some people around the country will see them and he self-publishes on his website and social media channels. Rob has agreed to allow me to publish the ‘rejected’ pieces which I will continue to do as it happens, both to share this important reflection on our contemporary experiences and to document this abuse of journalistic professional standards by Publisher John Block and members of the Block family who will not put a stop to his tyranny.

Ledcat theorizes that this is part of the Block plan to dismantle and punish the union members at the PG. If so, shame on the entire family and all of their business associates. This didn’t happen overnight or in a bubble. Destroying the fabric of our only daily newspaper, undermining the employees livelihood, and suppressing editorial content is not what makes for a great American newspaper.

A lot of people in this region adore Rob’s take on things both hyper local and international in scope. Adore is perhaps the wrong word, but I do know that when someone ‘Pittsburgh famous’ is added to the cast of characters in the local cartoons, it is a big honor.

Pittsburgh deserves better. And that’s what I think is missing in the feedback. It certainly sucks for Rob, but he’ll be okay. This is detrimental to the people in this region who count on the publication for information and perspective. I think it is great to rally behind Rob, but not solely for his sake – for all of our sakes. Rob speaks for us and to us. Silencing him is a crass move because it harms the integrity of the institution and denies all of us a different perspective. If this is a union busting tactic, even worse.

Shame on John Block.