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Cartoonists in Trouble: Zehra Ömeroğlu with Terry Anderson

Join host Daryl Cagle for a compelling episode of Caglecast, exploring the high stakes of political cartooning with guests Zehra Ömeroğlu and Terry Anderson. Zehra, a Turkish cartoonist, recounts her grueling five-year trial in Turkey over a satirical cartoon in LeMan magazine, facing potential imprisonment despite a recent acquittal now under appeal. Terry Anderson, Executive Director of Cartoonists Rights Network International, sheds light on global threats to cartoonists, from the shutdown of LeMan to arrests in Iran and Egypt. This episode uncovers the courage and risks behind political satire in an era of censorship and authoritarianism.

YouTube has rated our new podcast for adults only, which makes it difficult to find and view. Users must be registered with YouTube and must log in, and prove that they are over 18 years old to view the video. This has effectively blocked this important Caglecast from getting an audience on YouTube.

Guest Bios:

  • Zehra Ömeroğlu: A celebrated Turkish cartoonist and recipient of the 2025 Robert Russell Courage in Cartooning Award. Zehra faced a five-year trial for a LeMan cartoon deemed obscene, pushing her into partial exile. She’s currently working on a 200-page graphic novel about her ordeal and contributes to Cagle.com.
  • Terry Anderson: Executive Director of Cartoonists Rights Network International, tirelessly defending cartoonists facing censorship and persecution globally. Terry provides updates on critical cases, advocating for free expression in countries like Turkey, Iran, and Egypt.


Episode Highlights:

  • Zehra’s legal battle in Turkey and the ongoing appeal threatening her freedom
  • The closure of LeMan magazine and arrests of its editors over a controversial cartoon
  • Global cartoonist struggles, including Atena Farghadani’s release in Iran and Ashraf Omar’s detention in Egypt
  • The Charlie Hebdo cover mocking Erdogan and its diplomatic fallout
  • The New York Times’ 2019 decision to stop publishing editorial cartoons
  • The enduring power and peril of political cartoons in authoritarian regimes
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Columns, Pirates, Brilliant Daughter and More More More

Someone tweeted this disturbing, altered, pirated cartoon to me.  PriateCartoon
It is disturbing to have my work pirated like this – but I’m not sure it is copyright infringement, since it has a different message and there are probably enough changes to qualify for the legal standard of “fair use” as commentary. Also, removing my signature from the art removes an argument that the art defames me. Still, it is rude. If an editorial cartoonist did something like this the AAEC would be calling for his head. Here is my original drawing …

Here’s some more miscellany – I thought this column from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune was very nice.

My charming and talented daughter, Susie, had an exhibition of her work recently in San Francisco. These are watercolors she did as part of her cartoon-journalism coverage of the Silk Road trial in New York City.

Susie is up for an award from my old partners at Slate, for this piece from Al Jazeera America.

Here’s a nice photo of a section front from the weekend before last in the Augusta Chronicle, from my cartoonist buddy, Rick McKee.

That’s enough errata for now!