Photo Caption: Charlie Kirk (left), Newsday’s cartoon (top right), Suffolk GOP Chairman Jesse Garcia (inset) Credit – Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
This story has been updated at 5:07p.m. to reflect Newsday’s statement of apology.
The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has shocked the world and generated a myriad of responses.
Newsday, a long-time Long Island newspaper and digital source, ran a political cartoon on Page A16 of their September 13, 2025, edition showing a tent with the words “Charlie Kirk” emblazoned on the top. The front of the stage reads “Turning Point USA”, with an arrow pointing up to an empty chair with a blood stain on the wall behind it.
The cartoon has generated significant controversy with calls from Suffolk County Republican Committee Chairman and Brookhaven Republican Committee Chairman Jesse Garcia (R-Ridge) calling for a boycott of Newsday, saying Long Island’s only daily paper “crossed a line.”
“By publishing a vile cartoon about the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, the paper has mocked tragedy, stoked division, and poured gasoline on the flames of political violence,” said Garcia in a statement. “This isn’t journalism. It’s a reckless, partisan attack that blames the victim, silences free speech, and shames everything this country should stand for.”
Chairman Garcia added the following list of demands, “effective immediately”:
“Remove the cartoon from all platforms; terminate the artist’s contract. Anyone who traffics in hateful imagery has no place in a newsroom,” said Garcia. “Own up and apologize to the Kirk family, to Newsday’s readers, and to every American who still believes in freedom of speech.”
Garcia said that unless and until such actions are taken, he is calling on advertisers and subscribers to boycott Newsday, recommending withholding support from a “publication that normalizes hate and endangers lives.”
“It’s this type of hate – by media outlets like Newsday and others – social media platforms, and national, state, and local Democratic officials that instill political violence against those they disagree with,” said Garcia.
The Chairman ended his statement on a final note, “silence is complicity.”
Newsday’s editorial page editor, Rita Ciolli, released a statement on the matter.
“A syndicated cartoon about the shooting of Charlie Kirk was selected for Saturday’s roundup to illustrate the nation’s challenge in confronting political violence,” said Ciolli in a statement. “Cartoonist Chip Bok uses the name of Kirk’s organization, Turning Point USA, and theme of his Utah event – ‘Prove Me Wrong’ – to suggest that Kirk’s assassination might be a turning point for healing our nation’s divide. Unfortunately, some readers found the imagery insensitive. Instead of generating debate, it inflamed emotions. We regret the upset it caused.”
The Messenger is awaiting comment from Newsday on this matter. However, they released a statement of apology.
“On Saturday, Newsday published a syndicated editorial cartoon referring to the assassination of Charlie Kirk that was insensitive and offensive,” a statement from Newsday’s leadership read on Sunday evening. “We deeply regret this mistake and sincerely apologize to the family of Charlie Kirk and to all. “We made an error in judgement. The carton has been removed from our digital platforms.”
The statement continues by summarizing Newsday’s interpretation of the cartoon, in which they said that the theme of Kirk’s Utah event – “Prove Me Wrong” – suggested that his assassination “might be a turning point for healing our nation’s divide.”
“The imagery was inappropriate and should never have been published in Newsday.”
In response to the apology, Chairman Garcia made another statement in acceptance.
“Today, a little more than nineteen hours after the statement from our Suffolk GOP condemning this disgraceful political cartoon, Newsday has publicly acknowledged its mistake, apologized to the Kirk family, its readers, and the broader public, and removed the cartoon from its platforms,” said Garcia. “I accept this apology. We recognize that owning up to such an egregious errors is not easy, and we hope this moment serves as a reminder to every newsroom in America that words and images matter.”
Garcia added that Kirk was a “man of faith, family, and country”, and that “his tragic loss should never be trivialized.”
“But we can commit ourselves to ensuring his tragic and senseless death is not used as fuel for more hate. We can, and must, choose unity over violence, civility over cruelty, and respect over mockery,” said Garcia. “Our nation is stronger when we remember that despite our differences, we are all Americans.”
“That is the only way forward.”
