Political cartoonists play an important role in telling history of a certain time period. They use humor and simple to understand cartoons to bring awareness of current events and issues.
The Good, the Bad and the Editor
Why political cartoons matter more than ever.....
in the past, [that was] the purpose of an editorial cartoon. "The point of satire is not to be funny," he argues. "The point is to be critical."
Who's right? Both. Neither. Who knows? And that's the problem.
Ironically, this is the golden age of political cartooning. Never has the form been blessed by so many talented artists drawing in such a dazzling variety of visual styles.
And never have so many Americans wanted to read them.
Most readers, for example, assume that an editorial cartoon reflects the editorial viewpoint of the newspaper where it appears. Until roughly 50 years ago, this was often true. No more. Like a columnist, a staff cartoonist's views are his or her own. Mike Ramirez, a conservative, worked until 2006 for the Los Angeles Times, which is liberal. The Washington Post's editorial board is dominated by neoconservatives; Post cartoonist Tom Toles is liberal.
Is a good political cartoon funny or trenchant? Allegorical (labels and symbols like the Democratic donkey and Uncle Sam) or influenced by comic strips (linear and narrative)? Wordy or wordless? Fair or partisan? No one agrees. Editors and cartoonists argue about these questions all the time, never getting closer to consensus.
Among cartoonists, there's one area of agreement: negativity. We love it.
"I don't draw cartoons that support anything," says editorial cartoonist Daryl Cagle, who also runs an online compendium by his colleagues. "I just criticize. Supportive cartoons are lousy cartoons." But editors love them.
Imagine a world without professional journalists—only bloggers. The news would lose its credibility and thus its relevance. The results would be the same if newspapers ran editorial cartoons by amateurs.
"Humor is a powerful tool, one that The Daily Show, Slate.com, Politico.com, etc. use well and it complements their brand," adds Andrew Satter, an online video producer for Congressional Quarterly. "
We have to own engaging explanatory multimedia journalism."
Speaking of graphics and humor, editorial cartoons are the most read—often the only read—feature on a newspaper's opinion page. Slate.com and the Politico.com both place a big emphasis on cartoons. It's paying off.....snip~
The Good, the Bad and the Editor | Why political cartoons matter more than ever | Ted Rall | Boise Weekly
What's funny is some leaders even make comments about Political Cartoons. Do you think Leaders are made up of the lowest common denominator? :lol:
