DOUBLING DOWN

Australian Newspaper Reprints ‘Racist’ Serena Williams Cartoon

The Herald Sun challenged criticism and mocked “our new politically correct life.”

An Australian newspaper has responded to criticism over its decision to publish an offensive cartoon of tennis star Serena Williams by republishing the cartoon and mocking ”politically correct life.” The Herald Sun was accused of racism and sexism for depicting Williams as an oversize, tantrum-throwing tennis player in a cartoon published Monday, just two days after the superstar made headlines for clashing with an umpire at the U.S. Open. On Wednesday, the paper reprinted the caricature on its front page under the headline “Welcome to PC World.” The cover also featured caricatures of Australian and world leaders drawn by cartoonist Mark Knight. The paper wrote that “if the self-appointed censors of Mark Knight get their way on his Serena Williams cartoon, our new politically correct life will be very dull indeed.” Knight has defended the caricature as being about Williams’ “poor behavior on that day, not about race.”