Confusion about cartoons

Pardon my confusion. On March 14, the third weekday, we were informed that Doonesbury in The Spokesman-Review would not be the current week’s syndication version. Why? In your own words: “Doonesbury appears six days a week in the classified section because many years ago the newspaper’s editors removed it and the Mallard Fillmore comic from the editorial page. The decision at that time was based on two factors: the often political nature of the comic strips and the space required for them.”

This is followed by, “it is our view that abortion is not an appropriate topic for a comic strip.”

So imagine my perplexity when I opened Sunday’s paper to find Signe Wilkinson’s political cartoon in the editorial section on … wait for it … legislators, contraception, pregnancy and sonograms. I guess if it doesn’t have more than one panel and appears on page B8, it is no longer a comic strip?

Mallard Fillmore and Doonesbury are clearly political commentary. The Spokesman’s own words are that they are both political in nature. I fail to understand the distinction from Wilkinson’s panel.

And shame on you for waiting three days to inform your readers of the substitution for the Doonesbury strip.

Dirk Vastrick

Spokane Valley