CINews apologises for unintentional offence

Cook Islands News has apologised for any unintended offence caused by a KATA cartoon it printed depicting a Solomon Islands woman throwing a tantrum over the Duchess of Cambridge’s attire.

The cartoon depicts a topless woman looking annoyed, and features a caption noting that “she’s upset Kate chose a Tavs dress over her stink t-shirt”.

The Solomon Star printed a story calling the cartoon “distasteful”, and noting that many local people in the Solomons considered it “offensive, demeaning and a mockery to the Solomon Islands people, culture and lifestyle”.

Cook Islands News managing editor John Woods yesterday issued an apology on behalf of the newspaper, in response to a request from Solomon Islands journalist Ednal Palmer.

“I regret the offence this cartoon appears to have caused, as it was intended for our local audience and the sense of humour that our cartoonist, who has done this job for 18 years, perceives to exist among our readership. In Cook Islands Maori, kata means laugh, and he strives to make that happen daily if possible,” Woods wrote.

“We have received three letters from readers complaining that it was offensive. I accept their opinions, and respect all complaints, in the daily routine of running a robust newspaper which allows freedom of expression.

“I refrain from censorship as an editorial cartoon by its very nature is meant to be satirical and provocative, and in this case was making light of the whole controversy, including your alarmist story which quoted unnamed sources and used words like ‘smuggle’ to describe the alleged methods by which Cook Islands garments ended up on the bodies of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It’s all a bit over the top, PC, and excessive, in my view.

“For you to publish our cartoon was a breach of copyright, and it has served only to stir up and incite emotion where it was not intended.

“That said, I sincerely apologise for the offence some have felt over this, because this is not an issue or an illustration that is worth the grief.”