Last week, a Toronto Star cartoon had a sign up saying "Cheap Crappy Toys" above what appeared to be some "Tickle Me Elmo" dolls.

"Made in China?" asked a woman. "Worse. Made in Detroit," responded a man (see it here).

That got the ire of some in the automotive sector.

From public editor Kathy English's Nov. 29 column: 

The day after the cartoon was published I spoke with Starr (Marvin, owner of a major Canadian GM dealership) on the telephone. He was so angry he cancelled several subscriptions to the Star, a newspaper he has long provided to customers in his showroom. "To put that in the paper was like kicking us when we are down," he said.

I have much empathy for that view and I do understand why those in the auto industry would feel offended by this cartoon. But, as I told Starr and others, the Toronto Star is a strong supporter of Canada's auto industry and the newspaper should be judged on much more than that one cartoon.

The cartoon does not reflect the view of the Star but rather, as with all editorial cartoons, represents the cartoonist's satirical, oft-distorted, take on news events.

A lead editorial published last week is a more accurate reflection of the Star'sview. It argued strongly that both Ottawa and Queen's Park should come to the aid of the ailing industry, even though a recent Angus Reid poll shows that 51 per cent of Canadians oppose financial aid.

On the same day the cartoon was published, the Star ran a thoughtful comment page article that made an effective case for a fairer trade deal for the Canadian auto industry. And a Nov. 19 commentary argued that the costs of bailing out the auto sector need to be weighed against the social costs of an industry collapse.

As I've written here before, editorial cartoons are considered "the savage art" and depend on witty satire, cruel caricature and wild exaggeration to amuse us, stir controversy and provoke debate.

"Editorial cartoonists are, by nature, edgy and controversial. So, too, are late night TV hosts," said editorial page editor Ian Urquhart, who approved publication of the cartoon. "Both use satire, which can be taken as offensive by some in the audience. But the forum of public debate would be worse without them."

Moudakis, who has won a National Newspaper Award for editorial cartooning, understands he hit a nerve but didn't set out to offend. "I certainly wasn't trying to belittle or hurt Oshawa autoworkers," he says. "Editorial cartoonists can be cheap shot artists, you can't deny that, but in the end, we don't mean to hurt anybody."