Hundreds of US media cancel Dilbert creators after racist statements

The creator of the comic strip "Dilbert" is facing a spate of terminations after defending his statements calling black people members of a "hate group" that white people should "stay away from." Various media publishers in the US condemned Dilbert creator Scott Adams' comments as "racist", "hateful" and "discriminatory" and said they no longer provided a platform for his work.

The Andrews McMeel Syndication, which distributes "Dilbert," did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. But Adams took to social media to defend himself against those he said "they hate me and want to get rid of me." At the same time, he admitted his career was ruined. Most of his earnings will be gone by next week, he said, according to a BBC report.

Dilbert is a comic who has been making fun of office culture for years and has been an integral part of the joke pages of American newspapers such as the "Los Angeles Times", the "Bosten Globe" or the "Washington Post".

The creator debate was triggered by an episode of the YouTube show Real Coffee with Scott Adams last week. Among other topics, Adams referred to a Rasmussen Report poll that asked whether people agreed with the statement "It's okay to be white." Most agreed, but Adams noted that 26 percent of black respondents disagreed with the statement, and others were unsure.

The Anti-Defamation League, an organization that campaigns against discrimination and anti-Semitism, says the phrase was popularized in 2017 as a trolling campaign by members of the discussion forum 4chan, but was then also used by some white supremacists.

Adams, who is white, has repeatedly labeled people who are black as members of a "hate group" -- meaning a "hate group" or a "racial hate group" -- and said he will no longer "help" "black Americans." And further: "Given the current situation, the best advice I would give to white people is to stay away from black people."

In another episode of his online show, Adams said he advised that "everyone should be treated as an individual," without discrimination. But you should also avoid any group that doesn't respect you, "even if there are okay people within the group," Adams said.

The Los Angeles Times cited Adams' "racist comments" when it announced Saturday that Dilbert would be discontinued in most issues beginning Monday and that his final run in the Sunday comics, which print in advance, would be March 12 becomes. The USA Today Network also confirmed via Twitter on Friday that publication of Dilbert would be halted "due to recent discriminatory comments from its creator."

But the San Antonio Express-News, part of Hearst Newspapers, also announced that it will be shutting down the Dilbert comic strip starting Monday "because of its creator's hateful and discriminatory public comments."

The Cleveland Plain Dealer and other publications affiliated with Advance Local Media also announced they will be hiring Dilbert: "This is a decision based on the principles of this news organization and the community we serve." , wrote editor Chris Quinn. ''We are not a home for those who advocate racism. We certainly do not want to support them financially.”

Christopher Kelly, vice president of content at NJ Advance Media, wrote that the news organization believes in "the free and fair exchange of ideas." "But when those ideas spill over into hate speech, a line has to be drawn."