News Corp. forms ‘diversity community council’ in response to chimpanzee cartoon controversy.

During the debate on the economic recovery package shortly after President Obama assumed office, News Corp’s New York Post ran a cartoon likening Obama to a dead chimpanzee. After protests and extended criticism, the Post editorialized that they apologize “to those who were offended by the image” while News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch later issued a personal apology. Now, the company has formed a diversity council in response the controversy:

News Corp. has agreed to form an external diversity council after meeting with civil rights groups about a New York Post cartoon that critics said likened President Barack Obama to a dead chimpanzee.

The company will form a “diversity community council” in New York City that will meet with senior company executives twice a year, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous said Wednesday. It also will include a statement of commitment to diversity in its annual report.

Representatives from the NAACP, Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the National Urban League, and 100 Black Men of America met with News Corp. executives on May 19, but it is unclear how diverse the council will be.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/10/news-corp-diversity/