Why did the Washington Post censor today’s Doonesbury comic strip?

Many times over the years, newspapers have chosen not to run Doonesbury comic strips for one reason or another. Creator Garry Trudeau often focuses on topics that editors and readers find offensive.

Today, the Washington Post was so offended that it refused to run the strip. What was the topic they found so offensive? Was it sex? Drugs? Crude language? No, the topic was the recent layoffs at the Washington Post. Instead, they ran a “Doonesbury Flashback” strip–a rerun.

So much for the WaPo, that vaunted bastion of free speech and truth.

The real question, though, should be, why does any newspaper still run Doonesbury? It hasn’t been funny in at least 35 years. It’s the Janeane Garafalo of comic strips.

Here, thanks to MediaBistro, is today’s censored strip.