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http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000999585Newspapers React Differently to 'Poo' in 'Prickly City' than 'Turd Blossom' in 'Doonesbury'
NEW YORK Is "poo" a less offensive term than "turd"? Is tweaking a liberal Democrat like Howard Dean more acceptable to some newspaper editors than tweaking conservative Republicans like George W. Bush and Karl Rove?
Whatever the reason, no newspapers -- to Universal Press Syndicate's knowledge -- pulled or edited Wednesday's "Prickly City" strip that used the word "poo." Ten to 12 papers pulled or edited Tuesday and Wednesday's "Doonesbury" comic mentioning "Turd Blossom" -- Bush's nickname for Rove (E&P Online, July 26).
Meanwhile, a CNN.com poll showed most people think newspapers should not have dropped those two "Doonesbury" strips.
Scott Stantis, whose 2004-launched "Prickly City" comic runs in 75-plus papers, had his Winslow animal character say in Wednesday's strip: "Why do you dislike Howard Dean so much, Carmen?" She replies: "Believe it or not, Winslow, I want a two-sided debate of ideas. An adult voice to thoughtfully and vigorously challenge the majority party. Not some freak-show monkey boy who throws his own poo." To which Winslow says: "You don't watch a lot of cable news, do you?"
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