Sunday, February 04, 2024

278,000-plus visits and 1.68 million-plus page views: Thanks for browsing this blog!

Today, my website tracker Statcounter reported that this blog has been visited more than 278,000 times, with a daily average of 73.7 unique visits and 13.6 repeat visitors for the last seven days. And according to Blogger.com stats, this blog now has more than 1,676,800 page views.

I started this blog in 2005 as part of my “Legal Issues and Family Matters” website. My goal in creating this blog was to write about (1) lessons on photojournalism for high school and college students and (2) topics relevant to students.

Shooting black-and-white photographs


I was a journalism teacher and yearbook adviser in Rizal High School in Pasig City from 1984 up to 1996. (In the 1990s, Rizal High School was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest high school in the world, with enrollment reaching as high as 26,000 students.) During my time in Rizal High School, I organized the Mini Press Conference from 1984 to 1991, a yearly conference attended by some 300 students from about a dozen public and private high schools in Metro Manila.

During that time, I also took more than 10,000 pictures, mostly black-and-white, with my beloved Canon AE-1 Program SLR camera and Vivitar zoom lenses (see the first picture on the right). I started with films such as Negrapan (made in Barcelona, Spain) and the locally packaged Colpan. I also tried Ilford HP 5, but later on, I primarily used Kodak Tri-X Pan because it was used exclusively by my idol, Sebastiao Salgado, the world’s best photojournalist.

Together with my students, I printed the pictures in our school’s makeshift darkroom (see the 2nd picture on the right). I used the cheap, locally-manufactured Atlas developer and fixer; for the photo paper, I primarily used Grade 3 Oriental and Agfa Portriga.

From photojournalism book to photojournalism blog


Based on some of the pictures that I took, I wrote a book on photojournalism way back in 1997. For the next two to three years, I went to numerous book publishers trying to get my book published, but to no avail. The book publishers told me that there was no market for the book.

In 2001 or 2002, a company called Pyra Labs created the “weblog,” a new platform for writing on the Internet. Pyra Labs was later on bought out by Google, which then transformed the “weblog” into the Blogger platform.

After studying basic HTML, I started this blog and several others in 2005. I rewrote the chapters of my photojournalism book so that they would fit the blog post format. I wrote 40 lessons on photojournalism for this blog. You can find the links to these lessons in the sidebar; in the post titled “Photojournalism: Introduction,” I wrote in more detail about how I learned about photography.

Since then, I have been editing these lessons to keep them up to date with developments in digital photography. I have also embedded relevant YouTube videos in some posts. (As I told a young photographer I met at the Rainforest Park in Pasig City, the techniques of photographic composition are the same whether he’s into film-based photography or digital photography.)

Synopses of Korean dramas


In 2014, I decided to broaden this blog’s goal by writing synopses of Korean dramas. The first two dramas I wrote about were the blockbuster “Empress Ki” (2013) and “The King’s Doctor” (2014). I have now written more than 70 spoiler-free synopses of Korean dramas and movies (historical and modern).

This blog’s most popular post is my synopsis of “Empress Ki,” which has more than 105K visits. The 2nd and 3rd most popular posts are “Dong Yi” (69.7K visits) and “The Flower in Prison” (69.3K visits). Most Filipinos are not familiar with “The Flower in Prison,” a 51-episode drama, because it has not been shown on any local TV network. Episode 8 of this 2016 drama had just been aired on Korean television when I decided to catch up and write a weekly synopsis for each of the remaining episodes.

Being a photographer, I love art, and so, I’ve been wanting to write the synopses for two Korean historical dramas that deal with art — “Painter of the Wind” and “Goddess of Fire.” Who knows, maybe I’ll get to write about these dramas in the future ...

“Dong Yi” (2010)
In Korea, “Jumong” was aired in 2006-2007, while “Dong Yi” was aired in 2010; both dramas became worldwide hits. A year after their respective Korean broadcasts, “Jumong” and “Dong Yi” were aired by GMA 7; they became blockbuster hits among Filipino viewers, especially “Jumong.” In 2017, I hesitated in writing my synopses of “Jumong” and “Dong Yi” because I didn’t know if people around the world were still interested in these dramas. But now, I’m happy because the Blogger.com stats show that my synopsis of “Jumong” has 62.8K page views, while my synopsis of “Dong Yi” has 69.7K views.

I’ve written synopses for eight Korean movies, some of which are “The Royal Tailor” (starring Park Shin-hye), “Masquerade” (ninth highest-grossing movie in Korean film history), “A Taxi Driver,” and “26 Years.” (The last two movies deal with the 1980s Gwangju Uprising.) The most-visited synopsis is that of “The Royal Tailor”; if you love heartbreaking romance or fashion as art, then you should watch this movie.

Based on my synopses of Korean dramas, I have written two related resources:

(1) Relationship tips from Korean historical dramas

(2) Interactive English grammar exercises based on Korean historical dramas

Discovering my love for Literature


My graduation photo from
Mandaluyong Elementary School
(2nd picture above)
After learning to speak, read, and write in English from my teachers in Mandaluyong Elementary School in the 1960s, I began reading voraciously. After waking up in the morning, I would go to the house of the Chinese business tycoon for whom my father worked as a chauffeur and read all the newspapers delivered there daily — Manila Times, Philippine Herald, etc. In the afternoons after my classes, I would wait for the Evening Post to be delivered and then read it.

Of course, as a kid, I loved the comics section more than anything in the newspapers; I loved “Mandrake the Magician,” “Phantom,” “Modesty Blaise,” and others. (From “Mandrake,” I learned the word “chivalry,” while from “Wonder Woman,” I learned the word “avalanche.”) They inspired me to begin writing my own story in English based on the Filipino comics character “Palos.”

Tintin
The tycoon had two rooms in his garage filled from floor to ceiling with magazines such as Life, Saturday Evening Post, Popular Mechanics, and Reader’s Digest. I also found there copies of the comic book “Tintin.” On weekends, I oftentimes spent the whole day inside those rooms, reading everything.

When I graduated from Mandaluyong Elementary School, I was awarded a 4-year scholarship to Rizal High School in Pasig, which was then the provincial high school. I remember going to the school library for the very first time, asking to take out a book “The Little Colonel” for my home reading report. The library became my hangout throughout my high school years; another place that became my hangout in the afternoons was the provincial library, a stone's throw away from the town plaza.

Along with science, English continued to be my favorite subject. All throughout high school, we used for our English classes the literature textbooks (“Panorama”) by Celso Al. Carunungan and a series titled “Prose and Poetry.” These books were a treasure trove for me; I remember reading from them “How My Brother Leon Brought Home A Wife” by Manuel Arguilla and a story by Alejandro Roces, the title of which escapes me right now.

(From Carunungan’s textbook, I remember reading a footnote about the book “Crucible” by Yay Panlilio in which she chronicled her life with the famous World War 2 guerrilla leader Agustin “Marking” Valdez. It fascinated me because, all throughout my childhood, my father told me stories about his experiences with the Marking’s Guerrillas, especially in the Ipo Dam Campaign. But sadly, I haven’t had the opportunity to read “Crucible.”)



Because of my love for reading books, newspapers, and magazines, I learned a lot about general information and current events. Thus, in the 1970s, I joined quiz contests on television such as IQ7 of Channel 7 and Pamantayan ng Talino of Channel 4. The photo above shows some of the other guys who joined quiz contests such as Vic Saymo, Dick Acacio, Jake Maderazo, Ed Garvida, Angelito Gabriel, Esmie Tellerva, Cisco Pangilinan, and Jim Bilasano.

Not in the photo are the best-known guys in quiz contests: Bong Barrameda and Jose Ramon Lorenzo.
In my junior year, the journalism teacher (Miss Consolacion Constantino) took me under her wings. She assigned me to cover sports events and then patiently corrected the articles that I submitted. But none of my articles were good enough to be published in our schoolpaper.

After graduating from Rizal High School in 1973, I qualified for an engineering scholarship in UP Diliman. In my freshman year, I saw fraternity rumbles and lightning rallies by students against martial law along the corridors of Palma Hall (or simply “AS”). I also saw an old guy who hung out on the AS Bridge with the freshmen guys from San Beda and Ateneo. One time, I saw that old guy at the back of the Chem pavilion, drinking with some other guys; when I wondered aloud about who that old guy could be, my classmate exclaimed, “That's Danny Purple!

I lost my scholarship when I failed Math 53 and Physics 41. Not knowing what course to take instead of engineering, I sought advice from the guidance and counseling office in Vinzons Hall. After the counselor reviewed my UPCAT scores (96 percentile rank in English and 94 percentile rank in science), she told me to consider either English or medicine as a course.

From UP Diliman (with a stopover in another college), I transferred to Philippine Christian University where I enrolled in the AB English program. I enjoyed the literature classes, especially the poetry classes; later, I became president of the English Club.

My Advanced Composition professor oftentimes started each class by reading a selection from the book “People” by Bob Garon. Later, I bought my own copy of “People” and began cutting out and collecting Garon’s newspaper columns.

I also bought the book “Adventures in a Forgotten Country” by Kerima Polotan, then and now, the country’s best writer of informal essays. I read through her essays, some of which are “Tarlac Dike,” “The Young Father,” and “Grandma Goes To School.” (I don’t remember if her essay “The Happy Hoi Polloi” came from this book.)

I read the short stories “Dead Stars” by Paz Marquez Benitez, “Blue Skull and Dark Palms” by N.V.M. Gonzales, and “Tomorrow is a Downhill Place” by Erwin Castillo. I read Nick Joaquin’s short stories “May Day Eve,” “Candido’s Apocalypse,” and “The Order of Melchizedek.” I bought a copy of his novella “The Woman Who Had Two Navels” and carried it around all the time. During those times, I also carried around the book “Words of Science” by Isaac Azimov; his discussions on the etymology of words and phrases were fascinating. (To impress my fellow English majors, I also carried around “The Problem of Pain” by CS Lewis.)



Although I loved poetry, essays, and short stories (like “One With Shakespeare” by Martha Foley), I didn’t have a deep interest in reading novels. I couldn’t finish “An American Tragedy” by Theodore Dreiser; I just skimmed “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand; I read almost through “Of Human Bondage” by W. Somerset Maugham but couldn’t understand what it was all about; and I only read the “Grand Inquisitor” chapter of “Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoeyevsky.

The only novels that I read completely were “Exodus” and “Battle Cry” by Leon Uris, “Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck, “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, “The Day of the Jackal” by Frederick Forsyth, “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers, and “Cry, The Beloved Country” by Alan Paton.

I frequented numerous libraries such as the Thomas Jefferson Library in Araneta Avenue in Quezon City; the Asian Library in Roxas Boulevard; the Mass Com library in Rizal Park; the PACE library in Mandaluyong which was later on transferred to Cubao; and of course, the National Library. I remember reading “Split Level Christianity” by Fr. Jaime Bulatao in the Asian Library and the short story “The Artist of the Beautiful” by Nathaniel Hawthorne in the Thomas Jefferson Library.

In 1986, as I was preparing to take the entrance exam to the UP College of Law — the Law Aptitude Exam or simply LAE — I went to the Mass Com Library to review for the vocabulary section of the exam by reading books and magazines. I came across the word “egregious,” and to my pleasant surprise, that word appeared in the LAE. After the exam, I overheard a lot of people cursing the LAE, with some saying that they had not come across the word “egregious” before. Several months later, the results came out, and among those who passed the exam, I was ranked number 4. (Some of the other people in the top 10 were Melina Almase, Joel Yuvienco, and Gerald Baldivia.)

My journey as a writer


March 2018, I revisited UP Diliman for a 4-day MCLE seminar. Some scenes
have not changed in almost 45 years after my freshman days there.
In 1973, my very first subject in UP Diliman was English I and II, a five-unit course with Dr. Thelma Kintanar as my professor. When Dr. Kintanar went on leave for about a week, the professor who took over asked our class to write essays on any topic we wanted to write about; I was a big fan of Cat Stevens, James Taylor, and Carole King, and so I wrote about music. Later, when the professor returned our essays, she exempted me and two other students from rewriting our essays; I got the highest grade of 1.5. (Of the two other students who were exempted, one became a medical doctor and the other one, a justice of the Court of Appeals.)

In 1976 (when I was 19 years old), I became the charter president of a Kiwanis youth club known as the Circle K Club of Pasig. For about two years, our club kept in touch with our mother club composed of the adult Kiwanians from Pasig, even though our activities and projects were separate. Later on, however, we found out that our mother club was no longer active.

Somebody else had taken over from me as the club president, but in order to help the club, I went to the main office of the Kiwanis Philippines in Shangrila Makati and submitted a letter detailing our club’s history and asking the district governor to assign to us another mother club. Later on, when I met the governor (the president of an insurance company), he told me that my letter was well-written and that he would have it published in the district’s newsletter. After the meeting, I thought, “Really, my letter was well-written?”

In 1977, I got a reply-letter from Angie, a Manila Science High School graduate who was my Chem 17 classmate in UP Diliman. In that letter, she told me that I had flawless grammar and could express myself clearly. Looking back now, her comment made me realize that I had some talent for writing. Posted at the bottom portion of this post is a copy of that letter.

Click to view a bigger copy.
At the Philippine Christian University, I still didn’t know whether I had the talent for writing, although my Advanced Composition professor sometimes read for the class my compositions, and I got a grade of 1.25 in an Asian-poetry interpretation exam. (After 40-plus years, I still have that exam booklet, and I still read it from time to time.)

I began to write down on a steno pad original phrases or expressions that came to my mind, such things as “stubble of unfulfilled promise” and “I’ve had so many turning points in life that I'm now turning around in circles.”

While taking my Education units in Philippine Normal College in 1980-81, I wrote articles that I submitted, using a pen name, to the “Letters To The Editor” section of newspapers and magazines.

I applied for a part-time writing job for a Binondo-based newspaper that catered to students, but it was an embarrassing experience. It took me a whole day to write one news item, and then the editor pointed out so many of my errors. The next day, I quit.

Because of my interest in quiz contests, I wrote two or three quiz-type articles that were published in the magazines MOD and Mr. & Ms.

Click to view a bigger copy.
In 1983, I wrote for the “Sidestreets” magazine an exposé of a religious cult that published its materials in a broadsheet. In 1985 or 1986, I began contributing articles for the religion section of the broadsheet Daily Express, thanks to the section editor F. C. Borlongan.

For my masteral thesis, I began researching and writing on the topic “The Schoolteacher as Portrayed in Philippine Short Stories in English.” In my research, I found out that it was Bienvenido Santos who wrote the most number of short stories with schoolteachers as the main character; his best story about a teacher was “Dear Miss Samonte.” I also found out that in Kerima Polotan’s short story “The Sounds of Sunday,” her main character “Emma Gorrez” was a schoolteacher.

(Years before I started working on my thesis, I already knew that the main characters in two of the most well-known Philippine short stories in English were schoolteachers — Miss Noel in “Visitation of the Gods” by Gilda Cordero-Fernando and Mr. Reteche in “Zita” by Arturo B. Rotor.)

I wasn’t able to get my master’s degree, but I rewrote my proposed thesis into a magazine article. Sometime in 1984 or 1985, the article was published by Kerima Polotan in her magazine Focus Philippines. As far as I could tell, Kerima Polotan did not edit any of my words, and later on, I got paid for the article. That was quite an experience! (It’s just too bad that I lost my only copy of that Focus magazine.)

RHS yearbooks that I designed
In the 1990s when I was working on the yearbooks of Rizal High School, I oftentimes listened to country music to inspire me. I also remember taping the songs from the cult movie classic “Eddie and The Cruisers” and listening to “Tender Years” over and over again.

In terms of writing style, my greatest influences were A. W. Tozer, Max Lucado, and Philip Yancey. I’ve got about a dozen books by Yancey, (for example, “Reaching Out To The Invisible God,” “In His Image,” and “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made“). I don’t agree with everything that Yancey says in his books, but he is a brilliant writer.

In 2011, however, I adopted the Plain English style of writing. Since then, my goal in writing my blog posts has been to write as simply and as clearly as possible.

What does the future hold for me and this blog?


I continue to learn about writing; presently, I’m reading the book “Style, Toward Clarity and Grace” by Joseph Williams. Based on what I’m learning from this book, I’m revisiting my blog posts and improving them.

I don’t know if I will still be writing about photojournalism or synopses of Korean historical dramas. But I want to thank all of you for visiting this blog.



Note: While watching the K-drama “D.P.” (winner of the “Best Drama” award from the 58th Baeksang Arts Awards), I remembered the early 1970s during my high school days when I took part in the “Junior Ranger” training and my college days when I took part in the COCC training of the UP Diliman ROTC. I wrote the folowing as the introduction for my discussion of “D.P.” on reddit.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

I’ve never been a soldier, but I can somewhat identify with what Jun-ho, Suk-bong, and the other characters in “D.P.” went through in their training.

As a 15 year old, 3rd year high school student in the Philippines many, many years ago, I volunteered to undergo a year-long, Saturdays-only “Junior Ranger” training in what was then the Fort Bonifacio army base. (Back then, the base had wide open spaces; now, it’s the Bonifacio Global City that’s dotted with high rise buildings, swanky malls, restaurants, and entertainment centers.) I remember one Saturday, after our training, my schoolmates and I wandered around the base until we reached the American Cemetery where 17,000 US servicemen during World War II are buried.

The “Junior Ranger” training was a project of the Jose Rizal College ROTC Department under its commandant Captain Gaerlan and was offered to the college’s nearby public and private high schools. From my high school, several hundred juniors and seniors started the training, but only around ten of us completed the training.

During the training, I handled for the very first time an M1 Garand rifle (the standard issue weapon of American GIs during World War II); I nearly tore off my right thumb as I released the bolt! When we held our training together with the ROTC cadets of Jose Rizal College, we, the Junior Rangers, were asked to assemble together with the MS 21 cadets. That was a compliment to us because the first year of the mandatory ROTC training consisted of MS 11 and MS 12, while the second year of training consisted of MS 21 and MS 22.

As we trained with the ROTC cadets, I learned how to field strip an M-16 rifle. But what stands out in my memories are when:

  • I went through an obstacle course dragging along an M1 Garand rifle; the course was set around an abandoned athletic oval with hard, rocky ground; I went home with bloody bruises on my elbows and knees, after mostly crawling around the course.

  • At the Jose Rizal College campus, we had to complete the river crossing training; two thick ropes were tied high above the open, cemented area. We had to slide our feet on the bottom rope and our hands on the top rope as we moved from one end to the other. Being a small guy at age 15, I was filled with terror when I nearly lost my grip on the top rope; I could have died or have been severely injured if I had lost my grip and fallen into the cemented area below.

In my first year of college in the University of the Philippines in Diliman, I had to enroll in the mandatory ROTC class; instead of simply filling out some registration forms, however, I had to duck walk my way up and down the AS Theater before I reached the table where I filled out the forms. After I told the regular army soldier who was manning the registration table that I went through the Junior Ranger training in high school, I was ordered to become part of the COCC (Cadet Officers Candidate Course). The commandant of the UP ROTC at that time was Col. Benjamin Vallejo, the founder of the ROTC ranger training in the Philippines.

In the COCC, I was lucky because our training director, Ranger Angeles (?), decided to prohibit the “hazing” of the COCC trainees. (Ranger Angeles was a cum laude graduate of Mechanical Engineering of the UP College of Engineering.) As part of the training, I learned how to field strip a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle), a 30-caliber machine gun, an M1 carbine, and a Thompson submachine gun (Hello, “Chicago Typewriter”!). I also learned how to read a map; first, orient the map using a compass, and then “read right up.”

But things weren’t always smooth because there was conflict between Ranger Angeles and the other training director who wanted the old ways in training, including the hazing. I also remember one upper class officer who was so enamored with his rank and made life uncomfortable for us. A year or two later, I heard that this upper class officer joined the regular army and took part in the large-scale battles between the Philippine army and the Muslim secessionists. But the sad thing I heard was that this upper class officer was “fragged” (killed) by one of his own soldiers.

Although I passed the COCC training, I resigned as an officer the next semester. I then endured Saturdays of mindless marching from MS 12 up to MS 22. During our bivouac, we marched several kilometers from UP Diliman to the La Mesa Dam. My squad was designated as the reserve squad, and so we just hid in the tall grasses the whole day and ate our food. Later, we were ordered to supposedly join in an assault, which was more like playing a game of tag. We got lost on the mountain, and our officers didn’t seem to know what they were supposed to be doing.

But I do remember having lots of fun one rainy Saturday when our platoon leader ordered us to assault a building behind the DSMT headquarters; my fellow cadets and I had fun sliding around the muddy and flooded grassy areas. On the bus on my way home, nobody wanted to sit beside me, ha ha!

As a high school student and as a COCC trainee, I was willing to endure through tough physical training because I was learning a lot of new things. I was lucky that “hazing” was prohibited in my COCC batch by the progressive-thinking training director. I wouldn’t have been able to endure the physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that Jun-ho and Suk-bong endured at the hands of the abusive senior enlisted men such as Hwang Jang-soo and Ryu Yi-kang. Abusive officers and enlisted men will find out that during an actual war, they’ll become the targets of the men they abused.

Early morning in UP Diliman, taken April 2018.

I was a freshman in UP way back in 1973. Ah, the 1970s, those were the best years — AS, Main Lib, Vinzons Hall, the frat rumbles, Danny Purple, Sunken Garden, ABBA, etc.

Saturday, February 03, 2024

Editorial Cartooning: tips and resources for contestants in the press conferences (district, division, regional, and national)




Index: A. Introduction; B. History, definitions, links to ToonMag articles on editorial cartooning; elements of an editorial cartoon; techniques used by editorial cartoonists; the role of an editorial cartoonist; the power of editorial cartoons; C. How to analyze or interpret an editorial cartoon; D. The world’s best editorial cartoonists such as Herblock and Oliphant; Ann Telnaes, one of the most influential editorial cartoonists today; E. Pultizer Prize — the world’s most prestigious award in journalism: Editorial Cartooning winners from 1922 to 2023; F. Sources and examples of excellent editorial cartoons (Washington Post; U.S. News & World Report; The List Wire; The Week; Cartoon Movement); G. Animation and graphic novels: the future of editorial cartoons?; H. Miscellaneous resources on the making of an editorial cartoon and the art of caricature

A. Introduction

I have a bit of experience in cartooning. In the late 1980s, I collaborated with my former student/editorial cartoonist from Quezon City Science High School in a series of cartoons titled “What’s in a Name?” I conceptualized the cartoons, while my former student drew them. For about two years, the cartoons were published in The Manila Times (it had offices back then in the Roces Avenue area in Quezon City). If I remember correctly, we were paid around Php 80.00 for every cartoon.

I’ve loved cartoons and comic strips since my grade school days. My favorite comic strips were “Mandrake The Magician,” “Phantom,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Modesty Blaise.” I also liked the Filipino comic strip "Alyas Palos" by the Redondo brothers and the other comics series in the Liwayway magazine.

During my college days, I loved “Hagar The Horrible," which I always looked forward to reading after coming home from church on Sundays. Being a fan of Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts,” I always carried around my copy of the book “The Gospel According to Peanuts"” by Robert Short. In the 1980s, I liked “Calvin and Hobbes,” but the first few times that I read it, I couldn’t understand if Hobbes the tiger was real or not.

The long form comics that I liked was “The Adventures of Tintin.” As I wrote elsewhere, I first read Tintin (“Prisoners of the Sun”) in the garage of my rich neighbor’s house.

During my college days in the late 1970s, I came across the editorial cartoons of Herblock and Oliphant (through my rich neighbor’s copies of magazines such as Time, Newsweek, and The New Yorker).

Sometime in 2005, I was the speaker/judge in photojournalism and editorial cartooning in a Division Press Conference of the Makati City DCS.

B. History and definitions of editorial cartoons and editorial cartooning (with links to ToonMag articles on editorial cartooning); elements of an editorial cartoon; techniques used by editorial cartoonists; the role of an editorial cartoonist; the power of editorial cartoons

Informative and insightful discussions about editorial cartoons by Anto Mario (ToonsMag) with numerous examples of excellent editorial cartoons:


Editorial Cartoons and the Power of Visual Metaphors

The Use of Symbols and Icons in Editorial Cartoons: A Powerful Language of Satire and Social Commentary

Editorial Cartoons and the Power of Visual Puns: A Captivating Blend of Wit and Advocacy

The Art of Caricature in Editorial Cartoons: Mastering the Art of Exaggeration

The Art of Wit: Irony and Sarcasm in Editorial Cartoons

Humour and Critique: The Duality of Editorial Cartoons

The Digital Age: How Technology has Transformed Editorial Cartoons

Editorial Cartoons and their Impact on Social Justice Movements

The Art of Caricature in Editorial Cartoons: A Humorous Lens on Society

The Editorial Cartoons of Ann Telnaes: Breaking Stereotypes Through Art

The Future of Editorial Cartoons in the Digital Age

The Impact of Social Media on the Dissemination of Editorial Cartoons

Editorial Cartoons: A Powerful Medium for Racial and Cultural Commentary

The Power of Political Satire in Editorial Cartoons

The Power of Satire in Political Cartoons: A Pen Mightier than the Sword

The Satirical Cartoons of Pat Oliphant: A Deep Dive into the Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist’s Impact on Political Cartooning

Exploring the Aftermath of Controversial Political Cartoons

Editorial Cartoons and Freedom of Expression: A Powerful Duo

Editorial Cartoons and Celebrity: A Satirical Lens on Society

Editorial Cartoons and Corporate Critique: A Powerful Medium for Social Commentary

Editorial Cartoons and the Freedom of the Press: A Satirical Lens on Societal Discourse

The Art of Satire: The Role of Editorial Cartoons in Historic Moments

The Pictorial Power: How Editorial Cartoons Shape Legislation

Controversial Figures: The Portrayal in Editorial Cartoons

The Role of Editorial Cartoons in Addressing Pandemics
History and definitions of editorial cartoon and editorial cartooning (with links to ToonMag articles on editorial cartooning):

From “Political Cartoon” (Wikipedia):
A political cartoon, also known as an editorial cartoon, is a cartoon graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist’s opinion. An artist who writes and draws such images is known as an editorial cartoonist. They typically combine artistic skill, hyperbole and satire in order to either question authority or draw attention to corruption, political violence and other social ills.

From “Editorial Cartooning” (The Herb Block Foundation):
The first editorial cartoon was drawn by Benjamin Franklin, and appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754 entitled “Join, or Die.” Franklin saw the colonies as dangerously fragmented, and hoped, with the cartoon and an article, to convince colonists they would have great power if they united. Franklin used symbolism and labeling to present an opinion based on current events and politics. Cartoons throughout history have made use of similar techniques of caricature, analogy, irony, juxtaposition and exaggeration to educate and influence their audience.

From “Editorial cartoonist” (Wikipedia):
A strong tradition of editorial cartooning can be found throughout the world, in all political environments, including Cuba, Australia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Iran, France, Denmark, Canada and the United States.

From “Brief History of the Editorial Cartoon” (Rochester Institute of Technology):
Editorial and political cartoons derive from satirical art, which may be as old as humanity. Some prehistoric cave art features irreverent human forms (Hess, p. 15); in ancient Egypt an anonymous artist mocked King Tutankhamen’s unpopular father-in-law; later artists criticized Cleopatra (Danjoux 2007); Greek plays and vases anthropomorphized human excess, as in lecherous satyrs; Roman art lampooned behaviors in real or mythical characters like Bacchus, the debauched wine god; in Pompeii, a Roman soldier drew graffiti on his barracks wall mocking a centurion (Hess, p.15); in ancient India, caricatures attacked political elites as well as Hindu gods (Danjoux 2007); Gothic gargoyles decorating medieval churches present caricatures exaggerating human traits.

Whatever the label or medium, satire questions motives, skewers hubris, and invites others to do the same.

In modern journalism, the editor of the Columbia Encyclopedia, Paul Lagasse, defines a cartoon as “a single humorous or satirical drawing, employing distortion for emphasis, often accompanied by a caption.” The editorial – or political – cartoon relies on caricature, stock characters, and cultural symbols to become a “propaganda weapon with social implications” (p.486) — a tool to influence public opinion. The measure of a cartoon’s success is the force of its idea, rendered clearly and resonating beyond its subject of the moment. The artistry is secondary to the message, which should lay bare behavior and character (Press, p.19). In the 18th century, Johnathan Swift wrote advice in a poem to fellow-satirist William Hogarth, “Draw them so that we may trace/All the soul in every face” (Hess, p.16).

From “Cartooning: Political and Editorial”:
Political or editorial cartooning is based on caricatures, a technique dating back to Leonardo da Vinci’s sketches. William Hogarth (1697-1764) has been attributed with the early development of political cartoons. In 1732, A Harlot’s Progress, one of his “Modern Morale Series” engravings, was published. His pictures combined social criticism with a strong moralizing element, and targeted the corruption of early 18th century British politics. In the 1750s during a military campaign in Canada, George Townshend (1724-1807), 1st Marquess Townshend produced some of the first overtly political cartoons. He would circulate his ridiculing caricatures of his commander James Wolfe among the troops.

James Gillray (1756-1815), considered the father of political cartooning, directed his satires against Britain’s King George III, depicting him as a exaggerated buffoon, and Napoleon and the French people during the French Revolution. The political climate of Gillray’s time was favorable to the growth of this art form. The party warfare between the Loyalists and Reformists was carried out using party sponsored satirical propaganda prints. Gillray’s incomparable wit, keen sense of farce, and artistic ability made him extremely popular as a cartoonist.

From “Editorial Cartoons: An Introduction” (Ohio State University):
Newspaper editorial cartoons are graphic expressions of their creator’s ideas and opinions. In addition, the editorial cartoon usually, but not always, reflects the publication’s viewpoint.

Editorial cartoons are based on current events. That means that they are produced under restricted time conditions in order to meet publication deadlines (often 5 or 6 per week).

Editorial cartoons, like written editorials, have an educational purpose. They are intended to make readers think about current political issues.

Editorial cartoons must use a visual and verbal vocabulary that is familiar to readers.

From “Art & Politics: 300 Years of Political Cartoons” (First Amendment Museum):
Art has always been intrinsically linked with politics. Nowhere, however, is that link more obvious than in the art of the political cartoon.

Political cartoons convey an artist’s thoughts or opinions on current events, public figures, political questions, and more. The popularity and longevity of political cartoons are a testament to their power as a form of speech.

The biting sarcasm, criticisms, humor, and barbed points found in many political cartoons are often directed at institutions of power, and their creators and publishers rely on First Amendment protections to ensure their legal protection from censorship or government suppression.

Part 1 1720-1800

Part 2: 1800-1850

Part 3: 1850-1900

Part 4: 1900-1950

Part 5: 1950-2000

Part 6: 2000-Present




Elements of an editorial cartoon: (1) caricature and allusion, and (2) context

From “The Evolution of Political Cartoons Through a Changing Media Landscape” by Anne McCallum
To comprehend the origin of the political cartoon, the term must be accurately defined, i.e. what is a political cartoon? According to Dan Backer’s A Brief History of Cartoons website explains how a political cartoon is the melding of two elements. The first element is the caricature and the allusion. The second element is context, i.e. the subject matter is something widely known. In other words the subject matter portrayed by cartoons is something recognizable. The caricature will parody the individual and the allusion will create context. So political cartoons will exaggerate individuals’ features and bring out that individual's “inner self”creating satire. Initially these caricatures and allusions were merely “curiosity” and not “viable artistic productions.” The earliest would be political cartoons were not meant for public viewing (Backer).

Techniques used by editorial cartoonists

From “Editorial Cartooning” (The Herb Block Foundation):
The first editorial cartoon was drawn by Benjamin Franklin, and appeared in the Pennsylvania Gazette on May 9, 1754 entitled "Join, or Die." Franklin saw the colonies as dangerously fragmented, and hoped, with the cartoon and an article, to convince colonists they would have great power if they united. Franklin used symbolism and labeling to present an opinion based on current events and politics. Cartoons throughout history have made use of similar techniques of caricature, analogy, irony, juxtaposition and exaggeration to educate and influence their audience.

From “Analyzing Political Cartoons, Political cartoons: Pictures with a point”:
Cartoonists use several methods, or techniques, to get their point across. Not every cartoon includes all of these techniques, but most political cartoons include at least a few. Some of the techniques cartoonists use the most are symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony. Once you learn to spot these techniques, you’ll be able to see the cartoonist’s point more clearly.

Symbolism

Cartoonists use simple objects, or symbols, to stand for larger concepts or ideas. After you identify the symbols in a cartoon, think about what the cartoonist intends each symbol to stand for.

Exaggeration

Sometimes cartoonists overdo, or exaggerate, the physical characteristics of people or things in order to make a point.

Labeling

Cartoonists often label objects or people to make it clear exactly what they stand for.

Analogy

An analogy is a comparison between two unlike things that share some characteristics. By comparing a complex issue or situation with a more familiar one, cartoonists can help their readers see it in a different light.

Irony

Irony is the difference between the ways things are and the way things should be, or the way things are expected to be. Cartoonists often use irony to express their opinion on an issue.

The role of the editorial cartoonist

From “Editorial Cartooning, Then and Now” (Medium) by Liza Donnelly citing Ann Telnaes, president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and a cartoonist for the Washington Post:
“The job of an editorial cartoonist is to expose the hypocrisies and abuses of power by the politicians and powerful institutions in society. I think our role has become even more urgent with the new political reality in 2017. Political dog whistles have become red meat to be tossed out regularly by politicians without the slightest attempt to conceal racism or sexism. Except for journalists and cartoonists, there’s no one keeping a check on conflicts of interest or unethical behavior in government.”

From “The Cartoon” by Herb Block:
“In our line of work, we frequently show our love for our fellow men by kicking big boys who kick underdogs. In opposing corruption, suppression of rights and abuse of government office, the political cartoon has always served as a special prod—a reminder to public servants that they ARE public servants.”

From “Cartoonists - Foot Soldiers of Democracy” (Wikipedia):


“Cartoonists - Foot Soldiers of Democracy” (French: Caricaturistes - Fantassins de la démocratie) is a 2014 documentary film directed by Stéphanie Valloatto about 12 cartoonists around the world who risk their lives to defend democracy. The film premiered in the Special Screenings section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. The film was nominated for the César Award for Best Documentary Film at the 40th César Awards.

The documentary features Plantu, French cartoonist, Jeff Danziger, American cartoonist, Rayma Suprani, Venezuelan cartoonist, Angel Boligan, Cuban-Mexican cartoonist, Mikhail Zlatkovsky, Russian cartoonist, Michel Kichka, Belgian-Israeli cartoonist, Baha Boukhari, Palestinian cartoonist, Zoho (Lassane Zohore), Ivorian cartoonist, Damien Glez, Franco-Burkinabé cartoonist, Willis from Tunis (Nadia Khiari), Tunisian cartoonist, Slim (Menouar Merabtene), Algerian cartoonist, and Pi San (Wang Bo), Chinese cartoonist.

The power of editorial cartoons

From “The Power & Perception of Political Caricatures in Light of Recent Cross-Border Controversies by Charlie Hebdo” (Oxford Political Review}:
If a picture is worth a thousand words, it can be said that a satirical cartoon is worth ten thousand. A talented cartoonist can connect with an audience in a way that awakens their imagination when they put pen to paper in the form of caricatures.

Political cartoons are integral to political journalism; employing caricatures and exaggeration to communicate subliminal messages, providing comic relief while making a statement on current affairs. Despite their comedic value, however, political cartoons play a substantial role in political discourse.

Political cartooning is a form of art based on controversy. Caricatures thrive in an environment that promotes debate and freedom of speech; giving them the ability to inform, provoke, and entertain the public. Can political caricatures be too controversial? Who gets to decide? And which side prevails in the inevitable clash between decriers of hate speech and defenders of freedom of expression?

From “The power of the political cartoon” (College Green Group blog):
Immediate, imaginative and frequently impertinent, political cartoons are often far more powerful than the written words which are produced in the space around them. Journalists are often jealous of political cartoonists for this very reason. The cartoonist’s message is clear and understood in seconds, characters are caricatured and delivery is accessible and amusing. An effective cartoon distils information into a single image that resonates with the public perception of an issue or person.

From “Red Lines: Political Cartoons and the Struggle Against Censorship” (The Diplomat):
Cartoons are a powerful tool of political speech. Combining journalism, art, and often satire, political cartoons are all the more powerful because of their accessibility. That also makes them a threat to politicians in democracies and autocracies alike.

Political cartoons are a cross between journalism, art, and satire. At their best, political cartoons combine the public purpose of journalism, the emotive impact of art, and the democratizing effect of satire. Of course, not all political cartoons reach these levels. As with other forms of journalism, many are mediocre. Some are toxic.

From “The power of editorial cartoons” (The Providence Journal):
Editorial cartoons aren’t meant to be fair or balanced, cartoon by cartoon. In getting across one or two key thoughts, with one drawing, how could they be?

For proof, see the accompanying images by Herblock and Oliphant. They’re cartoons we published in the mid-1970s, but they retain their power — and, I’d bet, their power to raise hackles.

If you liked Herblock, Oliphant or Nast back in the day, they were insightful commentators whose work shed light on complex stories. If you disliked them, they were biased, unfair hacks.

From “Editorial Cartoons Pack Powerful Messages” (Voice of America interview with Matt Wuerker of Politico):
“We’re a strange mix of things in that we are making serious commentary on serious topics, but we’re doing it not so seriously,” he says. “We like to see ourselves as opinion columnists that you’d see in a newspaper or somebody on TV who’s offering their opinion… and we get to draw our opinions with silly pictures!”

The Pulitzer-Prize winning cartoonist says the main advantage of a political cartoon is being able to communicate an opinion very quickly.

“I can draw a picture and put in a little word bubble and you can read it in about four seconds and you get it,” he says. “So it’s a very interesting vehicle for expressing an opinion if you do it right.”

“It has to hit you in the face kind of hard and fast and you know it when you’ve been hit.”

The power of editorial cartoons | International Journalism Festival (starts at 1:00 mark)



E. How to analyze or interpret an editorial cartoon

1. The History Skills article first discusses visual codes in political cartoons such as (1) caricature or exaggeration; (2) labelling; (3) symbolism; (4) captions; (5) analogies; and (6) Stereotypes. Afterwards, the article presents these questions to help people in analyzing or interpreting editorial cartoons.
Who or what is represented by the characterisation, stereotypes and symbols?

Who or what have been labelled?

What information is provided by the caption?

What is the political issue being mentioned in the cartoon? (You may need to do some background research to discover this).

What is the analogy that this cartoon is based upon?

Once you have answered these questions, you are ready to answer the final one:

What did the cartoonist want the audience to think about the issue?

2. From Cartoons for the Classroom:

Students determine the meaning of political cartoons through the analysis of their literal, symbolic and figurative meanings of the elements the artist used and their effect. Students are asked to describe the overall effect of the cartoon, and how the artist’s choices combine to create that effect.

Finally, students determine the purpose of the cartoon and how it relates to current issues through discussion questions. A blank cartoon is provided to assist students in writing their own caption based on their understanding of the cartoon’s meaning.
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How do foes turn into ‘monsters’?

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Why did Elon Musk X-out the bird?

Do history lessons color the future?

Will ignoring global heat destroy us?

Will artificial intelligence replace us?

Is TikTok a threat? Should we ban it?

5 conspiracy-laden cartoons about Taylor Swift

From “10 Things To Look For In Cartoons”:
These are common techniques used by illustrators and are a fantastic starting point in cartoon analysis:

- colour

- size

- labeling

- speech bubbles

- symbols

- focus

- angle

- tone

- facial expression

- context











D. The world’s best editorial cartoonists such as Herblock and Oliphant; Ann Telnaes, one of the most influential editorial cartoonists today

From "Top 10 Greatest Editorial Cartoonists in the History" (ToonsMag):

1. Thomas Nast, 1840s-1880s

Nast (September 26, 1840 – December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the “Father of the American Cartoon.”




2. Herblock (Herbert L. Block, 1920s-2000s)

Herbert Lawrence Block, commonly known as Herblock (October 13, 1909 – October 7, 2001), was an American editorial cartoonist and author best known for his commentaries on national domestic and foreign policy.

During the course of a career stretching into nine decades, he won three Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning (1942, 1954, and 1979), shared a fourth Pulitzer Prize in 1973 for Public Service on Watergate, the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1994), the National Cartoonist Society Editorial Cartoon Award in 1957 and 1960, the Reuben Award in 1956, the Gold Key Award (the National Cartoonists Society Hall of Fame) in 1979, and numerous other honors.




3. Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel, 1920s-1990s)

Theodor Seuss Geisel (March 2, 1904 – September 24, 1991) was an American children’s author and cartoonist. He is known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss (/suːs, zuːs/ sooss, zooss). His work includes many of the most popular children’s books of all time, selling over 600 million copies and being translated into more than 20 languages by the time of his death.

From 1941-1943, Geisel, also known as Dr. Seuss, worked as the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York magazine PM, creating over 400 editorial cartoons.




4. Honore Daumier (1800s)

Honoré-Victorin Daumier (February 26, 1808 – February 10, 1879) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the second Napoleonic Empire in 1870. He earned a living throughout most of his life producing caricatures and cartoons of political figures and satirizing the behavior of his countrymen in newspapers and periodicals, for which he became well known in his lifetime and is still known today. He was a republican democrat who attacked the bourgeoisie, the church, lawyers and the judiciary, politicians, and the monarchy. He was jailed for several months in 1832 after the publication of Gargantua, a particularly offensive and discourteous depiction of King Louis-Philippe. Daumier was also a serious painter, loosely associated with realism.


5. Bill Mauldin (1920s-2000s)

William Henry Mauldin (October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the archetypal characters Willie and Joe, two weary and bedraggled infantry troopers who stoically endure the difficulties and dangers of duty in the field. His cartoons were popular with soldiers throughout Europe, and with civilians in the United States as well. However, his second Pulitzer Prize was for a cartoon published in 1958, and possibly his best-known cartoon was after the Kennedy assassination.


6. Pat Oliphant (1960s-2015)

Patrick Bruce “Pat” Oliphant (born 24 July 1935) is an Australian-born American artist whose career spanned more than sixty years. His body of work as a whole focuses mostly on American and global politics, culture, and corruption; he is particularly known for his caricatures of American presidents and other powerful leaders. Over the course of his long career, Oliphant produced thousands of daily editorial cartoons, dozens of bronze sculptures, as well as a large oeuvre of drawings and paintings. He retired in 2015.

From “Pat Oliphant” (Illustration History):
Not one to shy away from controversy, Oliphant intentionally submitted a work he felt was inferior to the Pulitzer Prize board. When it won, he criticized the board for selecting his cartoon for its subject matter (Ho Chi Minh carrying the body of a dead Vietnamese man in the posture of the Pietà) rather than the quality of the work. After that, he was a regular critic of the Pulitzer and refused to be considered for the award again.





7. David Low (1920s-1950s)

Sir David Alexander Cecil Low (7 April 1891 – 19 September 1963) was a New Zealand political cartoonist and caricaturist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom for many years. Low was a self-taught cartoonist. Born in New Zealand, he worked in his native country before migrating to Sydney in 1911, and ultimately to London (1919), where he made his career and earned fame for his Colonel Blimp depictions and his satirising of the personalities and policies of German dictator Adolf Hitler, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, and other leaders of his times.


8. Ralph Steadman (1960s-present)

Ralph Idris Steadman (born 15 May 1936) is a British illustrator best known for his collaboration with the American writer Hunter S. Thompson. Steadman is renowned for his political and social caricatures, cartoons and picture books.

9. Charles Addams (1930s-1980s)

Charles Samuel Addams (January 7, 1912 – September 29, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for his darkly humorous and macabre characters. Some of his recurring characters became known as the Addams Family, and were subsequently popularized through various adaptations.

Addams drew more than 1,300 cartoons over the course of his life. Beyond The New Yorker pages, his cartoons appeared in Collier’s and TV Guide,[5] as well as books, calendars, and other merchandise.

10. Jules Feiffer (1950s-present)

Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929) is an American cartoonist and author, who at one time was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for editorial cartooning, and in 2004 he was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame. He wrote the animated short Munro, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1961. The Library of Congress has recognized his “remarkable legacy”, from 1946 to the present, as a cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, adult and children’s book author, illustrator, and art instructor.

Ann Telnaes, one of the most influential editorial cartoonists today

Ann Telnaes’s cartoon gifs start on pen and paper



Ann Telnaes on political memes, GIFs and traditional cartooning



Ann Telnaes – Women in Cartooning



Ann Telnaes - The Influence Of The Cartoonist

From Wikipedia:
In 2001, Telnaes became the second female cartoonist and one of the few freelancers to win the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. In 2017, she received the Reuben Award (National Cartoonists Society) and thus became the first woman to have received both the Reuben Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning.

From The Washington Post:
Ann Telnaes creates editorial cartoons in various mediums — animation, visual essays, live sketches and traditional print — for The Washington Post. She won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001 for her print cartoons, the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year for 2016 and the Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning in 2023. In 2022, she was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her illustrated reporting and cartooning. Telnaes’s print work was shown in a solo exhibition at the Great Hall in the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in 2004.

Other awards include the National Cartoonists Society Reuben division award for Editorial Cartoons (2016), the National Press Foundation’s Berryman Award (2006), the Maggie Award, Planned Parenthood (2002), 15th Annual International Dutch Cartoon Festival (2007), the National Headliner Award (1997), the Population Institute XVII Global Media Awards (1996), and the Sixth Annual Environmental Media Awards (1996). Telnaes is a past president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and is a member of the National Cartoonists Society.

From “Humor’s Edge: Cartoons by Ann Telnaes” (Library of Congress):
In 2001 Ann Telnaes became the second woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, a highly competitive field in which fewer than 5 percent of the practitioners are women. During the eighty-one years the award has been given, all but a few winners have been affiliated with a newspaper. As a freelancer and a woman cartoonist, Telnaes is thus doubly unusual among Pulitzer winners. The Pulitzer Prize committee awarded her the prize for “a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect.” Her drawings exemplify these qualities in dynamic, inventive compositions, which capture humorous and dismaying aspects of the election, communicate the candidates’ foibles and flaws, and convey her unflinching views on the roles of the Florida legislature and U.S. Supreme Court in the election’s outcome.

In Ann Telnaes’s Washington Post columns, you can see her best editorial cartoons of 2019, 2021, and 2022.


E. Pultizer Prize — the world’s most prestigious award in journalism: Editorial Cartooning winners from 1922 to 2023

The Pulitzer Prize is an award administered by Columbia University for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher.

As of 2023, prizes are awarded annually in 23 categories. In 22 of the categories, each winner receives a certificate and a US$15,000 cash award, raised from $10,000 in 2017. The winner in the public service category is awarded a gold medal.

Here’s how to navigate the Editorial Cartooning section of the website:

1. Click the “+” symbol opposite, for example, the year 2020.

2. The drop down list will show the following as the winner and finalists:
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker

For work that skewers the personalities and policies emanating from the Trump White House with deceptively sweet watercolor style and seemingly gentle caricatures.

Kevin Kallaugher, freelancer
Lalo Alcaraz, freelancer
Matt Bors of The Nib

3. If you click “Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker,” for example, this will lead you to the page where the series of the winning editorial cartoons are posted.

Examples of editorial cartoons by Matt Weurker of POLITICO (2012 Pulitzer Prize winner):
Click the GIF above to view a bigger copy in another tab.


F. Sources and examples of excellent editorial cartoons (Washington Post; U.S. News & World Report; The List Wire; The Week; Cartoon Movement)

Editorial Cartoons, Washington Post

Cartoons (The Week)

U.S. News & World Report Cartoons: Immigration; Joe Biden; Republican Party; 2024 Election; Gun Control and Gun Rights; Congress; Donald Trump; Climate Change; Middle East; Education; Ukraine and Russia; Politics, current events and international news

The List Wire (part of the USA Today Sports Network):
The greatest political cartoons in recent history

The best political cartoons in recent history

Year in Review: The best political and editorial cartoons of 2023

Greatest holiday-themed political cartoons in recent history

The best editorial cartoons of 2022

Cartoon Movement:
“A global platform for editorial cartoons and comics journalism, Cartoon Movement is an online platform bringing together professional editorial cartoonists from all over the world, offering daily perspectives on what is happening in the world.”

“With a community of over 500 cartoonists in more than 80 countries, we bring you the best political cartoons every day. Our mission is to promote professional editorial cartooning and to defend freedom of speech.”

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G. Animation and graphic novels: the future of editorial cartoons?

Examples of Rappler editorials (in Taglish) with animated editorial cartoons

Cha-Cha-pwera!

SMNI, karma daw ang tawag diyan

Justice, Philippine style: Acquitted sa plunder, pero may kabig naman
From “Animated political cartoons” (Wikipedia):
Animated political cartoons are the evolution of the editorial cartoon. The animated political cartoons are normally written in Flash.

With the dot com crash at the turn of the millennium, artists and animators were among the first to be let go at online news sites. Early pioneers such as Pat Oliphant stopped adding content shortly after. Others, however, have carved out a market for their trade. JibJab is the most notable, making Internet history with their cartoon This Land! in 2004. Mark Fiore’s animations have appeared in SFGate for years, he appears to be the most successful animator, currently publishing his cartoons once a week. Zina Saunders creates regular animations for Mother Jones.

Innovative new cartoonists, such as J83 (independent), and Shujaat Ali from the Aljazeera news website, are also appearing and making inroads in this evolving medium. Australian 3d animated political cartoonist inspired by the team at India Today that produce the award winning ’So Sorry’ animated political cartoons, TwoEyeHead has been one of the world’s few dedicated and regular 3D animated political cartoonists since 2014. Used by many Australian news services the looping 3D cartoons, specifically developed for social media, have been viewed by millions and can be found at @twoeyehead on Twitter. Peter Nicholson, of The Australian newspaper, publishes a new animation fortnightly, featuring the voices of mimic Paul Jennings. In Britain, Matthew Buck (Hack) launched the first regular animated political cartoon for Tribune magazine in May 2007 and subsequently started to work, weekly, for Channel 4 (News website). After the Channel 4 work ceased with the financial problems at ITN, his work - The Opinions of Tobias Grubbe - reappeared at the Guardian during the UK General Election of 2010.

From “The animated moving image as political cartoon” by Lucien Leon (lecturer in Animation and Video at the Australian National University’s School of Art and Design in Canberra)
For all the technological developments that have punctuated the timeline of political cartooning, the digital media revolution has ushered in an era where cartoonists find themselves, for the first time, operating in a news-publishing context that supports both silent static images and audio-visual moving images . Animation has emerged as a vehicle that exploits both the cartoonist’s customary drawing skills as well as the new-media affordances of sound and motion. Categorically acknowledged by some prize-giving institutions but not others, and accepted by some (but not all) cartoonists, the place of animation in the political cartooning tradition remains nebulous. In this article I examine and compare the material and teleological characteristics of print media political cartoons and animated political cartoons. Writing primarily from an Australian perspective, I take as my set selected works of five prominent Australian political cartoonists who have also negotiated an animation practice. I conclude that political animations diverge from printmedia political cartoons in terms of visual style, but not function. In critically reflecting on the viewpoints of prize givers, scholars and cartoonists themselves, I determine that the alignment of the two image types within a single, political cartooning tradition is not only possible in a categorical sense, but also desirable in a historical sense.



Graphic novel as editorial cartoon

In 2018, the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning was awarded to Jake Halpern, freelance writer, and Michael Sloan, freelance cartoonist, The New York Times “for an emotionally powerful series, told in graphic narrative form, that chronicled the daily struggles of a real-life family of refugees and its fear of deportation.”


H. Miscellaneous resources on the making of an editorial cartoon and the art of caricature

1. Michael Edward Luckovich (born January 28, 1960) is an editorial cartoonist who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution since 1989. He is the 2005 winner of the Reuben, the National Cartoonists Society’s top award for cartoonist of the year, and is the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes.







2. Kal: the making of a political cartoon (editorial cartoonist for The Economist magazine)



3. Patrick Chappatte: The Making Of an Editorial Cartoon



4. Joe Heller and His Work as an Editorial Cartoonist (USA Today, New York Times, The Compass News): elements of an editorial cartoon



5. Funny Business - An Inside Look at the Art of Cartooning



6. Toca Mocha









7. How To Draw A Caricature Using Easy Basic Shapes



8. The Caricature Drawing Exercise That Changed My Life: Six Steps to Awesomeness



9. Tom Richmond (born May 4, 1966) is an American freelance humorous illustrator, cartoonist and caricaturist whose work has appeared in many national and international publications since 1990. He was chosen as the 2011 “Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year”, also known as “The Reuben Award”, winner by the National Cartoonists Society.

Now a major contributor to Mad, Richmond’s caricatures and cartoons illustrate many of Mad’s trademark movie and TV parodies. He was the first illustrator in the modern (non-comic book) era to do his TV and film parodies in full color, coinciding with Mad’s switch to a color format in 2001. In addition to MAD, Richmond continues to do freelance illustration for a variety of publications and advertising clients.