Another week, another image depicting the idea that the Jews control the world. But this week it’s different. For one thing, while they’re far from unusual in the likes of the Guardian and Independent, when a publication like The Economist joins in, it is a shock. This week’s cartoon of the seal of Congress with a Star of David superimposed, shackling President Obama was unambiguously antisemitic. But what made this week even more different was that, instead of the usual defensive bluster, The Economist offered an instant and apparently sincere apology, removing the cartoon without delay. Mistakes happen. It’s how they’re dealt with that is often most telling. And The Economist dealt with its mistake entirely properly.
