Rupert Murdoch apologizes for New York Post cartoon seen as racist?

NEW YORK - New York Post chairman Rupert Murdoch apologized Tuesday for a cartoon that critics said likened a violent chimpanzee shot dead by police to President Barack Obama.

In a statement published in the newspaper, Murdoch said he wanted to "personally apologize to any reader who felt offended, and even insulted." He said the Post will work to be more sensitive.

Murdoch said the cartoon was intended only to "mock a badly written piece of legislation."

The cartoon, which was published Wednesday, depicted the body of the bullet-riddled chimp Travis and two police officers. The caption said: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."

The chimp was killed in Connecticut last week after mauling a woman.

The president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, which called for a boycott of the Post on Saturday, said Murdoch's pledge to be more sensitive was welcome but did not go far enough.

"Mr. Murdoch's apology comes only after almost a week of tens of thousands of expressions of outrage and disgust from people across the country," NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous said in a statement. "The offenders are still on staff and there are no measures being taken to increase diversity in its newsroom."

A spokeswoman for the Post did not immediately return a call seeking a response to the NAACP statement or questions about whether anyone would be disciplined.

The Post also apologized Thursday in an online editorial. Reverend Al Sharpton (R) and hundreds of demonstrators gather outside New York Post headquarters to protest a controversial chimpanzee cartoon in the newspaper February 19 in New York City. Photo:Mario Tama/AFP

Rev. Al Sharpton is urging the Federal Communications Commission to review policies allowing Post owner News Corp. to control multiple media outlets in the same market

was this a pioy?,,whats the real story within the story ????