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March 11, 2008
Ramirez 2008 Fischetti Winner
The Columbia College Chicago Department of Journalism has announced the winners of the 2008 John Fischetti Editorial Cartoon Competition. Winner of the top prize is Michael Ramirez of Investors Business Daily. Honorable mentions went to Tony Auth of The Philadelphia Inquirer and Steve Greenberg of the Ventura County Star. A panel of judges chose the winning entries from a field of 171 cartoons submitted by 56 editorial cartoonists. Ramirez will receive the $3,000 grand prize and Auth and Greenberg $1,000 each in recognition of their work.
The first place cartoon by Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez depicts Democratic presidential hopeful Barak Obama as one of the massive, enigmatic, sculptural figures of Easter Island. “An editorial cartoon is neither conservative nor liberal,” says Ramirez. “Whether you agree with it philosophically or not, a good editorial cartoon engages the reader in debate.”
A U.S. map constructed of guns, hovering over splattered blood, is the chilling image that garnered an honorable mention for Steve Greenberg. “Editorial cartoons ” help raise awareness of pressing issues, sound an alarm on issues of dire urgency and attempt to help redirect us when we are going off in the wrong direction,” notes Greenberg.
Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist Tony Auth commented on the Blackwater scandal with his image of a hulking Blackwater soldier driving a bayonet through the back of Uncle Sam. “As newspapers struggle as never before, more and more of them are questioning whether they can afford the luxury of their own cartoonist,” says Auth, whose cartoon won a 2007 Fischetti honorable mention. “The times we live in, the visual nature of cartooning and its strength and power when used well argue that editorial cartooning is as needed now as ever. But then again, so are newspapers.”
Ramirez, Auth and Greenberg will be honored at a reception on Tuesday evening, April 1 at Chicago?s Flatfile Galleries. The evening will include comments from the honorees, presentation of awards and a silent auction of original editorial cartoons with proceed benefiting the Fischetti scholarship fund. Also featured will be a tribute to the late Doug Marlette with Marlette's nephew, Andy Marlette, editorial cartoonist for The Pensacola News Journal.