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Pulitzer Prize winner's app now accepted into App Store
Last week we told you about Mark Fiore, who won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning despite the cartoons' sole medium being the internet. What surprised many was that, though Fiore's cartoons were good enough for a Pulitzer, they were not good enough for the App Store. Back in December, Fiore had submitted an app called NewsToons, which displayed a collection of his political cartoons, only to have it rejected by Apple for ridiculing public figures. However, shortly after he won the Pulitzer and the news broke that his app had previously been rejected, Apple invited Fiore to resubmit the app, with Steve Jobs saying that the rejection of Fiore's app "was a mistake that's being fixed." I'm pleased to report that, as of yesterday, the mistake is fixed. Mark Fiore's NewsToons app is now in the App Store. The $0.99 app gives users access to automatically-updating political animation and the ability to dig deeper into the cartoon and see what news stories, events, and facts inspired each animation. Wonder if we'll see a Steve Jobs cartoon anytime soon?
When you're good enough for a Pulitzer, but not the App Store
Mark Fiore made history on Monday when he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning. Though Pulitzers for political cartoons have been around since the 1920s, Fiore's award was historic because it's the first time the Pulitzer has been awarded to a political cartoonist whose cartoons don't appear in print. That's right -- all of Fiore's cartoons appear on the web. I love political cartoons and think it's really cool that internet-only cartoonists are getting the professional respect they deserve. Who knows, maybe the new Pulitzer will be given to a political cartoon that only appears on the iPhone? Hey, maybe Fiore should make an iPhone app so you can enjoy all his toons in one place? Oh, wait -- he has. And Apple rejected it. Yes, it's a weird world when you're good enough for a Pulitzer, but not the App Store. The Nieman Journalism Lab reports that Fiore submitted his iPhone app, NewsToons, to Apple in December. Apple then proceeded to reject it because his satire "ridicules public figures." This isn't the first time that political caricature has run afoul of App Store rules; Tom Richmond's app featuring a cartoon Congress was vetoed in November, then almost immediately cleared for sale. UPDATE: NYT is reporting Mr. Fiore has been "encouraged" by Apple to re-submit. So the lesson here? Win a Pulitzer, get a 2nd chance at the App Store. Look Apple, I supported some of your bans in the past -- like your ban on sexy junk apps -- but political cartooning is slightly different. It's one of the few disciplines that blend art, current events, and humor in such a way that they can convey the entirety of a relevant and complex issue into in a simple picture (or in Fiore's case, a simple Flash animation). So how about you rethink your decision and allow his app into the store? It'd be a shame to see the first Pulitzer for political cartooning going to a cartoonist with an Android phone.
