Apple rejected Pulitzer-winning cartoonist’s app

Political cartoonist Mark Fiore won a Pulitzer Prize on Monday for his satirical online animations.

But just a few months ago, his editorial cartoon app, News Toons, was rejected from the Apple App Store because, in Apple’s words, it “ridicules public figures.”

The Nieman Journalism Lab has more:

Apple attached screenshots of the offending material, including an image depicting the White House gate crashers interrupting an Obama speech. Two other grabs include images referencing torture, Balloon Boy and various political issues.


After public backlash this week, Apple called Fiore and asked him to resubmit his app. But really, why was it rejected in the first place?

In February, Apple deleted thousands of “overtly sexual” apps, including Hunk du Jour. Gay app Grindr is feeling the chill, and it recently tightened its rules to meet Apple’s prudish content guidelines.

Check out one of Fiore’s political animations: Whose Marriage Is It?

See more at markfiore.com.

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