It’s not news to anyone who follows editorial cartoons that the art form is going through some tough times here in the US. Because of newspaper closings and the fact that more people are getting their news online, editorial cartoonists are finding it hard to find jobs and decent pay for reprints. However, It’s also doesn’t help the profession when a cartoon syndicate starts offering the same editorial cartoon with two completely different viewpoints. 
This is a clear case of a cartoon syndicate trying to maximize profits by offering the same artwork but changing a few words to address both ideological sides of an issue. An editorial cartoon is supposed to have a clear point of view. Let me repeat that: an editorial cartoon is supposed to have a clear point of view; it should reflect the opinion of the creator. Otherwise, it’s not an editorial cartoon but just a cartoon. Distributing this kind of work demeans and devalues the profession.
Category: free speech
Thomas Jefferson and the Separation of Church & State
C-Span opened its Washington Journal program this morning with the question “Should religion play a role in politics?”,which led me to think about Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists and the issue of Separation of Church and State. Several years ago I was fortunate to see at the original at the Library of Congress:
Very cool.
10th anniversary of the Iraq War
The Washington Post has a slideshow of some of my print work leading up to and during the first couple of years of the Iraq War. Here’s a couple of them; you can see the full collection here.
Supreme Court will hear campaign finance case
This cartoon from my archives goes all the way back to 1997 but after reading the news that SCOTUS will consider lifting limits on individual campaign contributions I think it’s still relevant. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- money is not speech.
Rupert Murdoch apologizes for Scarfe cartoon
There’s another cartoon controversy overseas; A cartoon in the London Times has been labeled as anti-semitic by some critics. While one can question the timing of publication (Holocaust Memorial Day), I find the charges baseless. So does the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Here’s the cartoon by Gerald Scarfe; make your own mind up.
Violence in movies and video games
In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings, there’s been plenty of discussion about guns. Violent video games and the role of Hollywood have also been mentioned as causes, with calls for restricting the amount of sex and violence. My radar immediately pops up whenever I hear someone going down the censorship path- who would make those decisions and where does it end? Frankly, I find Victoria Secret ads tasteless for their blatant sexual messages but I wouldn’t call for outlawing them. This will cause some readers to roll their eyes but I think the lack of diversity is a big reason why this country has a “culture of violence”. The majority of the video game developers are young males, the powerful players in Hollywood are men, and we’re still a far way from true representation in Congress. From my own experiences in the animation industry and the editorial cartooning profession I can tell you the lack of women and minority groups does color what is created and commented on.
