Rhinoceros Times
Encyclopedia
The Rhinoceros Times is a free weekly conservative news and opinion newspaper published in Greensboro, North Carolina
, founded in 1991. A Charlotte, North Carolina
print edition was founded in 2002 and discontinued in 2008.
and fantasy author Orson Scott Card
and local investigative reporting by New York Times best-selling author Jerry Bledsoe
.
The back page of the paper features a regular commentary article by editor John Hammer, Under the Hammer. In the feature, Hammer is highly critical of President Barack Obama
, referring almost exclusively to him as either "Barack Hussein Obama" or by his last name. Hammer also promotes conspiratorial and fringe theories that Obama is a "secret Muslim"
and was not born in the United States
.
and Pearls Before Swine
. Also featured are the New York Times crossword puzzle and a Sudoku
puzzle.
in February, 2006.
-based Ku Klux Klan
group and its leader Thomas Robb
. The case was filed in 2006 when the paper alleged the Klan inserted its fliers into Times newspapers which then went to customers. The Klan counter-sued for defamation, but lost. In addition to punitive damages, the paper reportedly received the nation's first permanent injunction against the KKK, barring them from using the paper to distribute their literature in the future.
men in orange prison jumpsuits, in the front yards of what appears to be two suburban homes. The first character states, "Geez! Dey builds a brand new jail wit' three squares [square meals] an' cable
...", and the second character concludes, "And dey puts us on house arrest
so's dey can pays for it!"
Editor John Hammer apologized in the next edition of the paper, claiming that the cartoonist had intended the prisoners to be caucasian; in his apology, Hammer did not address why the cartoon had been colorized as it was, nor the failure of the editors to catch the mistake. The Greensboro News & Record
reported that Hammer called Guilford County Commissioners Chairman Melvin "Skip" Alston to apologize for the cartoon. Alston commented that he felt the cartoonist "might have had some racial intent."
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, founded in 1991. A Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
print edition was founded in 2002 and discontinued in 2008.
Background
The Rhino is owned by brothers John and William Hammer and is edited by John Hammer.Local features
The newspaper features editorial columns by noted science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy author Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
and local investigative reporting by New York Times best-selling author Jerry Bledsoe
Jerry Bledsoe
Jerry Bledsoe is an American author and journalist known for several true crime titles based on murders in his native state of North Carolina....
.
The back page of the paper features a regular commentary article by editor John Hammer, Under the Hammer. In the feature, Hammer is highly critical of President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, referring almost exclusively to him as either "Barack Hussein Obama" or by his last name. Hammer also promotes conspiratorial and fringe theories that Obama is a "secret Muslim"
Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories
Barack Obama religion conspiracy theories—allegations that he secretly follows a non-Christian religion, or that he is the antichrist—have been suggested ever since Barack Obama began his campaign to become President of the United States in 2007...
and was not born in the United States
Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories
Conspiracy theories about the citizenship of Barack Obama claim that Barack Obama is not a natural-born citizen of the United States and is therefore not eligible to be President of the United States under Article Two of the U.S. Constitution. Some theories allege that Obama was born in Kenya, not...
.
Syndicated features
Syndicated features include comics, such as Get FuzzyGet Fuzzy
Get Fuzzy is an American daily comic strip written and drawn by Darby Conley. The strip features the adventures of Boston advertising executive Rob Wilco and his two anthropomorphic pets: dog Satchel Pooch and cat Bucky Katt. Get Fuzzy has been published by United Feature Syndicate since September...
and Pearls Before Swine
Pearls Before Swine (comic strip)
Pearls Before Swine is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Stephan Pastis, who was formerly a lawyer in San Francisco, California. It chronicles the daily lives of four anthropomorphic animals, Pig, Rat, Zebra, and Goat, as well as a number of supporting characters...
. Also featured are the New York Times crossword puzzle and a Sudoku
Sudoku
is a logic-based, combinatorial number-placement puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid with digits so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3×3 sub-grids that compose the grid contains all of the digits from 1 to 9...
puzzle.
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoon controversy
The newspaper published two of the controversial Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoonsJyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
in February, 2006.
Ku Klux Klan controversy
In July 2009, the paper won a $25,000 judgement for punitive damages and the against an ArkansasArkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
-based Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
group and its leader Thomas Robb
Thomas Robb
Thomas Robb, also known as Thom Robb, is the national director of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, and a pastor at the Christian Revival Center.-Early life:Thomas Robb was born in Detroit, Michigan into a Baptist family and grew up in Tucson, Arizona....
. The case was filed in 2006 when the paper alleged the Klan inserted its fliers into Times newspapers which then went to customers. The Klan counter-sued for defamation, but lost. In addition to punitive damages, the paper reportedly received the nation's first permanent injunction against the KKK, barring them from using the paper to distribute their literature in the future.
Prisoner cartoon controversy
In June 2011, a controversy was created when The Rhino Times published a cartoon by Geof Brooks that featured two African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
men in orange prison jumpsuits, in the front yards of what appears to be two suburban homes. The first character states, "Geez! Dey builds a brand new jail wit' three squares [square meals] an' cable
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
...", and the second character concludes, "And dey puts us on house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
so's dey can pays for it!"
Editor John Hammer apologized in the next edition of the paper, claiming that the cartoonist had intended the prisoners to be caucasian; in his apology, Hammer did not address why the cartoon had been colorized as it was, nor the failure of the editors to catch the mistake. The Greensboro News & Record
Greensboro News & Record
The News & Record is the largest newspaper serving Guilford County and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, NC, and produces local sections for Greensboro and Rockingham County, NC. As of April, 2011, it had an average weekday circulation of 60,993 and an average Sunday circulation...
reported that Hammer called Guilford County Commissioners Chairman Melvin "Skip" Alston to apologize for the cartoon. Alston commented that he felt the cartoonist "might have had some racial intent."