Earlier this week, Scott Adams, the creator of the comic strip “Dilbert,” espoused disturbing, dangerous, and racist views on his YouTube show “Real Coffee with Scott Adams.”
Sadly, this is not the first time Adams has made statements that many of us found deeply troubling.
But in this circumstance, the comments were far beyond the pale of what we consider appropriate speech.
As a result, we will no longer be publishing “Dilbert” on NJ.com, lehighvalleylive.com or in any of our affiliated newspapers, including The Star-Ledger and The Express-Times. The same action is being undertaken at each of our sister publications in the Advance Local family, including MLive.com, AL.com and Cleveland.com.
This was not a difficult decision. As a news organization, we believe fiercely in the free and fair exchange of ideas. But when those ideas cross into hate speech, a line must be drawn. We cannot and will not provide a forum for those who engage in such rhetoric.
Effective immediately, “Dilbert” will no longer be seen on NJ.com/comics. Because of advance print runs, the strip will run a few more times in our newspapers, though we are working diligently to end its print appearances as soon as soon as possible. We are also working on identifying a replacement comic strip.
Christopher Kelly is Vice President of Content for NJ Advance Media. He may be reached at ckelly@njadvancemedia.com.