The Salt Lake Tribune faces renewed criticism for its depiction of Utah minorities in recent cartoons drawn by Pat Bagley. The issue has escalated to the point that U.S. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) refuses to respond to requests for comment from the newspaper. Owens is the only minority member of Utah's congressional delegation.
In recent years, critics have renewed attention to how early American political cartoons regularly maligned minority groups through exaggerated and demeaning caricatures—portraying Black people with oversized buckteeth and Asians with slanted eyes. These depictions were so normalized in popular culture that they reinforced harmful stereotypes for decades.
Bagley is no stranger to controversy, previously drawing cartoons comparing Utah law enforcement members to members of the Ku Klux Klan.
In his most recent cartoon, Bagley was roundly criticized for his incitement to political violence towards Utah's congressional delegation by titling his cartoon, "The Hole-in-the-Head Gang" with red around each of their necks.
The newspaper later removed the headline stating, "Editor’s note, Oct. 9, 7:12 p.m. -The headline on this cartoon has been updated because the original did not meet our standards for publication. We know words matter. We try to be intentional about the words we use and we regret this error."
Despite this headline elimination, the image remains published on their website.
Bagley had been a longtime resident of Utah but announced on July 4, 2025 that he was celebrating the nation's independence by leaving the United States and moving to Portugal where he continues to draw cartoons for the newspaper. At the time of his departure, he wrote the following on Facebook:
"I first considered leaving on election night 2016. When Jan 6 didn’t absolutely destroy the GOP and Trump brands, I knew it was prudent to make plans...MAGA is full-on fascist; the real malignant deal in all its facets."