Star Tribune Eliminates Staff Editorial Cartoonist Position

From The Daily Cartoonist.

The Star Tribune is moving on without an editorial cartoonist, following an announcement Monday that Mike Thompson would be moved from a full-time role to a freelance position.

The independent Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Mike Thompson, who the newspaper hired in April of this year as a staff editorial cartoonist, will now be working for the paper in a freelance position.
In a note to readers The Star Tribune said:

As the Star Tribune continues to assess the best ways to develop our news organization, we’ve decided to move forward without a full-time editorial cartoonist on staff. 

We’re grateful to Mike Thompson for his work as a staff cartoonist and look forward to opportunities to publish his work on a freelance basis in the future.

Mike had this message to share with our readers: "I appreciated the chance to work daily with the Star Tribune team, but the organization's needs are changing and so is my role. 

I look forward to opportunities to publish illustrated pieces here in the future, which is the kind of reported work that I get the most satisfaction from as a journalist."

The Star Tribune itself published a more comprehensive report:

Aside from praising Thompson’s work, the company declined further comment. 

This will be the first time the Star Tribune will be without a full-time editorial cartoonist in decades. 

Before Thompson, Steve Sack spent over 40 years as the newspaper’s cartoonist.
Asked for a reaction to the change, Thompson said he’s “excited to try something new.”