History was made recently when Mark Fiore, an online-only journalist, was given the Pulitzer prize. It was the first time an online-only journalist and cartoonist was given the Pulitzer, and it was considered huge success for the world of online journalism in general.
Apple, however, doesn't care if you have a Pulitzer.
Fiore, who runs a syndication company to distribute his award-winning political cartoons and flash animations to websites, wants to take the next step into the mobile arena. "I think the iPads and anything iPod to iPhone — to maybe a product not made by Apple — will be good or could be good for distributing this kind of thing."
Apple, apparently, doesn't get the joke. According to the Niemann Journalism Lab at Harvard University, Apple responded to his app submission with an email citing section 3.3.14 of the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, which says:
“Applications may be rejected if they contain content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, sounds, etc.) that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory.”
This clause, which in the case of editorial cartoonists, basically restricts them from making fun of people on the iPhone, has caused a few other cartoonists some trouble as well. Fiore doesn't plan on revising and resubmitting his app, because he doesn't want to start a fight with Apple. He did express his disappointment with the company, saying “They seem so much more innovative and smarter than that.”
Image Courtesy of Niemann Journalism Lab
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