Latest change at The Wall Street Journal in Year One of the Murdoch Era: Venerable editorial page cartoon “Pepper… and Salt” is moving to the leisure and arts page.

We’re almost surprised that a Frankenstein-style mob hasn’t already taken pitchforks and torches to the Dow Jones building. After all, it’s one of the paper’s longer-running traditions. Heck, even the editor-in-charge of the cartoon has been at it for 58 years, The New York Times reports.

The Journal would not comment on why the 58-year-old cartoon was moved last week, or what the future holds for “Pepper … and Salt” in the new Murdoch era.

But Pepper’s move could make way for a more Murdochian brand of editorial cartoon, cartoonists said. (The Times reported.)

It turns out that the editors announced the change on April 22. Why didn’t we notice before? Because we take our Pepper… and Salt on the Internet.

(Photo: Reuters file)