COMMENTARY
MARK SCHUMANN
Among the most popular and well-read features of Inside Vero has been the many cartoons drawn by Dale Neseman. Neseman’s clever and creative caricatures have helped tell the story of the ups and down in the long and arduous negotiations to sell Vero Beach’s electric utility to Florida Power & Light.
Today, Inside Vero received word from our popular cartoonist that he was called late yesterday by Brightman Brock, the editor of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers Jupiter Newsweekly. Brock said that he had, “heard from someone at Scripps” that Neseman was drawing cartoons for Inside Vero. Brock told Neseman, who is an independent contractor, that he would have to stop drawing cartoons for Inside Vero, if he is to continue drawing for Scripps. Interestingly, the only Neseman cartoons published in the Press Journal in recent years were ones I commissioned while serving as the editor of Scripps’ Vero Beach Newsweekly.
Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers Publisher, Bob Brunjes, is married to Florida Power & Light’s external affaires manager, Amy Brunjes. Following FPL’s announcement that the company is proposing the customers of Vero Electric pay a $26 million surcharge, Inside Vero ran the above cartoon. This cartoon may well have been the last straw for the “power couple.”
While serving as the editor of Scripps’ Vero Beach Newsweekly, I wrote a story titled “The tale of two cities and one utility giant.” In that story, I explained how FPL was working to avoid a referendum in Vero Beach, while at the same time the company was spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to force a referendum on the people of South Daytona. Following publication of that story, I was instructed by Brunjes to no longer report on FPL’s effort to acquire Vero Electric.
Inside Vero will seek to recruit a new cartoonist, for truth will not go quietly into the night.
Indian River Guardian 
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Sadly, attack the messenger is something often seen in this town. What is scary is that the net outcome is a “group think” mentality. This is the very opposite of what has made this nation great.
Obviously Scripps is interested in giving only THEIR version of the story, so giving Mr. Neseman an ultimatum is not surprising. Has Scripps become a propaganda force instead of a news source?
Great to see blackmail is alive and well on the Treasure Coast!
HOORAY!
Serving two masters?
Gutsy Scripps, my kinda guy.
Scripps does not use Neseman’s cartoons in this market (Vero Beach and Indian River County). There has been no conflict of interest, and Scripps, for a year now, has not taken exception to Neseman’s cartoons appearing in Inside Vero. It was only when we got very close to the truth of this power deal, that “someone” told Neseman he would have to make a choice.
Aren’t newspapers supposed to be the defenders of free speech ? The hand of FPL looms large in this very sad ultimatum.
Looks like Scripps is playing hardball or – stooping to a new low.
It’s too bad that a good free lance artist like Neseman has to give up this kind of an opportunity. He does not make the cartoons folks- he is just drawing what someone is telling him to draw, or better yet he has captured the ability to tell a story through his art….for instance, doing a caricature of Charlie Wilson to look like Pinocchio.
I am very sorry to hear of this – after all, he is a very talented free lance artist and with that kind of God given talent he deserves to make as much money as he can and to be able to FREELANCE in all respects. And, BTW, a freelance artist is not serving two masters, they are merely trying to make a decent living. My husbands son was doing free lance work for years as an industrial designer and he very often crossed paths with competitors and never had this kind of an ultimatum. So sorry to hear this….
Lets put two and two together and see if we come up with four. Last Thursday FPL president Eric Silagy met with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers . Yesterday,cartoonist Dale Neseman was given an ultimatum. Either draw cartoons for Insidevero or Scripps, but you can not do both. The timing of the Silagy/Scripps meeting and the ultimatum to Mr Neseman appears to some as an attempt to quash any criticism of the Vero Electric/ FPL sale .Is FPL really that desparate that they must resort to “arm twisting ” tactics to stifle a cartoonist trying to earn a living. Censorship is alive and well on the Treasue Coast. .