Fact Check

'Boombox' Cartoon Pulled from Newspaper for Criticizing Clinton, Obama?

The Los Angeles Times did not stop publishing a cartoon called "Boombox" by Dixon Diaz because of its political views.

Published Sept. 3, 2016

Claim:
The Los Angeles Times stopped publishing work by cartoonist Dixon Diaz because he criticized Hillary Clinton.

A photograph purportedly showing a "Boombox" cartoon by Dixon Diaz is frequently circulated on the internet along with the claim that the Los Angeles Times stopped publishing the strip after the comic insulted Democratic politicians such as Hillary Clinton and President Obama:

dixon

The comic displayed here was never published in the Los Angeles Times. This is a parody of a comic strip called The Boondocks, created by writer and illustrator Aaron McGruder.  (That's why "with apologies to Aaron McGruder" appears on the right-hand side of the strip.)

The "Boombox" parody has been circulating on the internet since at least 2013, when it was published alongside several other variations:

boombox

These parodies were later circulated along with the claim that the Los Angeles Times stopped publishing "Boombox" due to its political commentary. Of course, this is not the case, as these comics never appeared in the newspaper. The original comic strip talked about bird flu:

boondocks

Dixon Diaz isn't a comic artist, but he is a writer: he blogs about conservative issues under the name "Snarky Conservative" (formerly "The Libtard Show," where he shared other doctored comic strips he made) on social media.

Dan Evon is a former writer for Snopes.

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