The controversial cartoon depicting tennis star Serena Williams reacting angrily to her U.S. Open final loss to Naomi Osaka was not racist and did not breach media standards, a press watchdog said.
Published last September by the Herald Sun newspaper, Mark Knight’s cartoon showed Williams, 37, with her mouth wide open, hands in fists and jumping above a broken tennis racket and a baby pacifier. In the background, an umpire says to the opposing player at the net, “Can you just let her win?”
Critics complained that the caricature used racist and sexist stereotypes of African-American people.The Australian Press Council noted that some had found the image "offensive", but accepted the publisher's defence.
Williams sparked controversy during her loss to Naomi Osaka in September for her on-court behaviour where she accused the umpire of sexism and being a "thief".
The Herald Sun newspaper and cartoonist Mark Knight have consistently called their depiction a comment on Williams's behaviour, denying it was racist or sexist.The press watchdog said the newspaper had "sufficient public interest in commenting on behaviour and sportsmanship".
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