FACT CHECK: Did The New York Herald Publish This Political Cartoon About The U.S. And Pakistan?

An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows a comic from the New York Herald that mocks Pakistan for its decision to oust former Prime Minister Imran Khan. 

Verdict: False

The New York Herald, which has been defunct since 1924, did not publish this cartoon. The image featured in the Facebook post is an altered version of one created to mock the U.K.

Fact Check:

Khan was ousted from power by an April 9 no-confidence vote by the country’s parliament, according to Reuters. Since his ousting, he has accused the U.S. of conspiring to help facilitate his removal, the outlet reported.

An image shared on Facebook claims the New York Herald published a cartoon criticizing Pakistan for its alleged subservience to U.S. interests. The cartoon shows Uncle Sam patting a kneeling judge on the head. The judge appears to be holding a paper in his mouth that reads, “No confidence approved!” Next to the judge is a dog bowl with the image of the Pakistani flag on it.

“New York Herald Cartoon in today’s Newspaper. What a great shame for Pakistan,” reads the image’s caption. (RELATED: Does This Image Show A Large Demonstration In Pakistan Following The Ousting Of Imran Khan?)

The New York Herald has been defunct since 1924, according to Britannica. A reverse image search traced the cartoon’s origins to MintPress News, which describes itself as an independent watchdog outlet. The name of the news outlet can be seen in the bottom left corner along with the year 2022 and the signature of the Brazilian political cartoonist Carlos Latuff.

The outlet shared the cartoon in an April 21 Facebook post. Notably, in the original version of the cartoon, the dog bowl includes the image of the British flag, not the Pakistani flag. The text on the paper also reads “Assange extradition approved,” referring to the news that a British judge approved a U.S. request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S. for a potential trial, according to NPR. 

Latuff recently addressed the altered image in a tweet.

Changing cartoons without the author’s consent and sharing them on social medias to satisfy a particular political agenda reveals not only a lack of professionalism but also dishonesty.

Thanks to @AFPFactCheck for clarifying.@MintPressNews pic.twitter.com/VyiqFTX25t

— Carlos Latuff (@LatuffCartoons) May 3, 2022

“Changing cartoons without the author’s consent and sharing them on social medias to satisfy a particular political agenda reveals not only a lack of professionalism but also dishonesty,” reads the tweet.

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