Annual Convention

Annual Convention October 5-8

The AAEC and Association of Canadian Cartoonists will be joining with the Cartoon Art Museum in San Franscisco for a 3-day celebration of editorial art and political cartoonists, October 5-8, 2023.

Online registration is now open!


A statement on the Michael Ramirez cartoon in The Washington Post

The AAEC Board of Directors has issued the following statement on the retraction of Michael Ramirez’s cartoon in The Washington Post. “The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) wishes to reiterate its support for cartoonists to express themselves vigorously, without fear of retribution or physical violence. “The AAEC also wishes to note the responsibility of […]

Joel Pett is winner of the 2023 Babin Award; Sage Stossel named finalist

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Kentucky cartoonist Joel Pett is the 2023 recipient of the “Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning.” The panel of judges also named Boston’s Sage Stossel as finalist. The prize was announced Saturday, Oct. 7, at the annual convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), in San Francisco.   “Famous for […]

“Are you daft?” — McClatchy Firings Draw Nationwide Attention to Bad Management

On Tuesday, July 11, McClatchy unceremoniously fired their three most prominent staff editorial cartoonists with no warning. Kevin Siers, of The Charlotte Observer, Joel Pett of the Lexington Herald-Leader, and Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee — all three Pulitzer Prizing-winning cartoonists — we’re the only three employees targeted in the latest round of layoffs […]

Mike Thompson’s Big Adventure

Mike Thompson has had a tumultuous 2023. A year after he was unceremoniously sacked from his long-time gig at USA Today by new owners Gatehouse— er, that is, Gannett — Thompson was the winner of a nationwide search to follow up the stellar Steve Sack at the storied Minneapolis Star Tribune. https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2023/03/24/mike-thompson-joins-star-tribune-staff/ This was a […]

Republican Candidate for Auditor Steals Ann Telnaes Cartoon, Apologizes Later

In late October a political ad for Janice Lorrah, who is running for the office of Auditor of Accounts in Delaware, appeared in the pages of the Cape Gazette. The primary art at the top of the full page advertisement was an old syndicated editorial cartoon by Ann Telnaes. There was just one problem: No […]

Uncle Sam vs Lady Liberty

On the 4th of July, Slate offered a deep dive into the history of two of America’s most popular mascots — Uncle Sam & Lady Liberty — and the ever-shifting use and symbolism of these two seminal icons by cartoonists and propagandists alike. Read all about it here: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/07/uncle-sam-lady-liberty-history-of-national-symbols.html

More Calls for the Pulitzer Prizes to Restore Cartooning as a Category

Another newspaper editor has come out against the Pulitzer Prizes (and Gannett) for their short-sighted decisions regarding editorial cartoons. The Chicago Tribune‘s Dennis Shere criticizes recent moves by the biggest award in journalism and the biggest newspaper chain in the country and says they are not doing themselves — or America — any favors. Read […]

Smith & Jones Win This Year’s SDX

A big congratulations to cartoonists Mike Smith and Clay Jones — this year’s recipients of the SDX Award for Editorial Cartooning from the Society of Professional Journalists. The Sigma Delta Chi Award honors outstanding work published or broadcast in print, radio, television and online. Mike Smith (Las Vegas Sun/Greenspun Media Group) won in the category […]

Gannett Slashes Editorial Pages from Papers — Along with Cartoons

Word has trickled down from Gannett (née GatehouseMedia) that, beginning June 1, they will be stripping out the daily editorial/opinion section in the print editions of all their daily papers. Gannett, the largest newspaper publisher in the country as measured by total daily circulation, announced their Op/Ed pages will now only appear in print on […]

Pulitzer Prize Cartoonists Pen Protest Letter to Pulitzer Board

[Update: Since this letter was fired off last week, more Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists have signed on to the protest, including 2020 winner Barry Blitt, and Pat Bagley, the longest-employed staff cartoonist at a daily newspaper.] Ten days after the 2022 Pulitzer Prizes wereannounced, 35 cartoonists who have won or been finalists for the […]

Sack Sacks Sack

Over the weekend, the Minneapolis Star Tribune made it official: Steve Sack is retiring after almost 42 years at the paper. The influential and irrepressible Pulitzer Prize winner had told fellow cartoonists earlier in the week he had decided to step down from his long-time staff position to pursue his other artistic endeavors. Read Steve’s […]

Matt Wuerker Picks the Best of Politico

Award-winning cartoonist Matt Wuerker uses the occasion of Politico‘s 15th anniversary to look back at his favorite cartoons over the past decade and a half. Wuerker was one of the first hires at the Washington DC media outlet, and his work won the fledgling newspaper its first Pulitzer Prize. Read the whole thing here: https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/23/matt-wuerker-15-years-cartoons-527625 […]

New cartoon award — SHORT DEADLINE!

While some editorial cartoonist contests have fallen by the wayside as newspaper readership continues to drop, one journalist association has stepped up to expand their annual award to include cartoonists. The National Society for Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) has just added a cartoon category to their annual contest list. Here’s the thing though: [low whisper] they […]

Some paper writes about the travails of cartoonists on Facebook

Some newspaper wrote about Facebook‘s failure to understand irony, and how that is threatening the livelihood of editorial cartoonists. While the most of the article is about Matt Bors and The Nib, cartoonists Adam Zyglis, Ed Hall are interviewed as well. Here’s the article: For Political Cartoonists, the Irony Was That Facebook Didn’t Recognize Irony As Facebook has become more active at […]

Last minute 2020 award news

Cartoonist (and incoming AAEC Vice-President) Ed Hall did good at this year’s Florida Press Awards. The illustrator and editorial cartoonist won three awards for his work in both The Press and Jacksonville’sFolio Weekly in the Florida Press Club’s annual journalism competition. The contest winners were announced virtually (of course), and Hall won both first and second place […]

Signe steps down — sort of

Over the Christmas weekend, the Philly Inquirer announced its star cartoonist was retiring. Kind of. “Signe Wilkinson, the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, and the cartoonist for The Inquirer and Daily News since 1985, is putting down her pencil at the end of 2020 for daily cartoons (though she’ll make […]

Sack wins Berryman Award

A big congratulations to Steve Sack on winning the 2020 Berryman Award. Well deserved! Sack, the longtime editorial cartoonist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, was named the recipient of the prize named after Clifford K and James T. Berryman, the only Pulitzer Prize-winning father and son cartoonists. The annual award, presented by the National Press Foundation, also picked […]

More Cartoonists chatting online: Oct. 21st edition!

Until 2020, Fall was the season for serious cartoon gatherings—but cartoonists aren’t letting covid slow down the discussion. Case in point: Clear your calendar for WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21 for two big online events: 1) Force of nature Ann Telnaes kicks off the day with a online interview from VIEW Conference 2020. “From Animation to Opinion […]

Online chats in October

Several additional cartoonist roundtables are on the schedule this month: 1) Super short notice but — Ann Telnaes just notified us that she’ll be on an online panel tonight, Oct. 13 at 6pm, with Barry Blitt and Pia Guerra as they explore the art of political cartooning with Scott Simon, host of NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday. If you’re able to “attend”, better register now: https://www.jfklibrary.org/events-and-awards/forums/10-13-political-cartooning […]

The AAEC announces its annual awards

This weekend saw the 2020 CXC Festival move ahead — online and virtual as with everything else this year — and the event acted as sort of a de facto gathering for the AAEC, which had to cancel their own convention back in May. AAEC President Kevin Siers made a pre-recorded appearance on Friday evening during […]

ICYMI—Pat Bagley wins Best Editorial Cartoonist from the NCS

A huge congrats to Pat Bagley on winning this year’s National Cartoonist Society Division Award for Editorial Cartooning! Bagley, the Immediate Past President of the AAEC, has been doing some of the best work of his 40-year-career at the Salt Lake City Tribune this year. The NCS award was presented virtually this year, as part […]

Cartoonist making readers mad, part I

ICYMI — A cartoon by Michael Ramirez made a lot of people angry last week. The epicenter of the shockwave was the Southeast Missourian, a newspaper in Cape Girardeau some 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, but it soon went national and was picked up by NBC. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cartoon-depiction-mlk-s-i-have-dream-speech-missouri-newspaper-n1237478 The cartoon, drawn in reaction to a single […]

The State of Cartooning is—not good. At least according to the British

Here are two pieces for  your Tea Time Reading. Both look at challenges facing cartoonists in the 21st century and ask “is there a future?” #1) “Why does no one want to be a cartoonist any more? — The lack of new blood doesn’t bode well for the industry’s future” https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/why-does-no-one-want-to-be-a-cartoonist-any-more- and After the Guardian […]

The Billy Ireland (re)launches their first digital exhibit

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum (aka the CLAM) launches their first online exhibit. Ok, technically they are relaunching the 2017 show “Tales from the Vault: 40 Stores/40 Years” online, but if you missed it then, it’s new to you now!   https://library.osu.edu/site/40stories/

Object lesson: How (and how NOT) to use Nazis imagery in a cartoon

Two events over the past two weeks showed the two sides of using Nazis imagery in editorial cartoons. A cartoon by Peter Evans in the Islander News which included Trump wearing a swastika armband drew reader complaints—but also a stalwart defense of the cartoonist and the cartoon by the newspaper’s publisher. Evans published his own response […]

Green Eyeshade Awards announced

As the tally of newspapers have contracted over time, state and regional contests have also disappeared. But the Green Eyeshade Award proudly carries on, and this year celebrates its 70th year. Chosen by the southern wing of the Society of Professional Journalists, the 2020 winners have been announced. https://www.greeneyeshade.org/2020-winners/ A big congratulations to this year’s […]

Bennett wins Sigma Delta Chi

Clay Bennett won this year’s Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalism. Bennett won in the category for papers of circulation of 100,000+ (And congrats too to Alexander Hunter of the Washington Times for winning in the >100,000 category. While not a member of the AAEC, he’s one of the stalwarts who […]

Shorter WaPo: Are newspaper editors cowards?

Michael Cavna sums up a rough fortnight for political cartoonists and newspaper editors, and asks an important question: What if publishers decide it’s too much trouble to do their damn job?   https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/06/23/political-cartoons-racist-small-newspapers/ “In my mind, editorial cartoons are expendable. None of them are produced by our staff, and rarely do they depict a local […]

Cartoonists Rights Network sounds alarm on threats facing cartoonists

In the wake of the global pandemic, journalist and human rights groups are sounding the alarm and issuing the most dire warnings about cartoonists’ security and freedom since the Charlie Hebdo attack over five years ago. Cartoonists Rights Network International has joined with Cartooning for Peace, Cartoon Movement and other free press organizations calling for protections […]

Rights groups call for detained cartoonist to be released

The Cartoonists Rights Network International has appealed to the Bangladeshi government to release a political cartoonist. Ahmed Kabir Kishore was arrested over a month ago as a critic of the country’s response to COVID-19, and is scheduled for a “hearing” sometime in June. CRNI’s Terry Anderson and other leaders of free expression organizations wrote to the […]

International groups call on Trump to speak up for press freedom

The Cartoonists Rights Network International has joined with 72 journalist and press freedom organizations calling on Donald Trump to “commend, rather than condemn, the media and ensure their protection from the unprecedented attacks they have faced while reporting on nation-wide protests demanding social and racial justice, particularly for Black communities.” 2/3 You can see the […]

Cartoonist wins award, loses paper in a topsy-turvy week

Al Goodwyn is having an, uh, interesting week. The day after he won a regional journalism award for his editorial cartooning, a South Carolina paper drop the syndicated cartoonist and apologized for running a cartoon of his that many readers found offensive: https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2020/06/11/newspaper-apologizes-for-devisive-cartoon/   Michael Cavna picked up on the story at Comic Riffs: how the […]

Fallout from syndicated cartoon controversy [UPDATED]

Fallout grew from a decision to run a syndicated cartoon by AAEC Member Tom Stiglich in Missouri newspaper: two owners of a family-run business ran an apology for publishing the cartoon — and later resigned — and the syndicate pulled the cartoon from circulation. The Daily Cartoonist is following the story: https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2020/06/10/missourian-owners-disgusted-by-political-cartoon/   Here’s the […]

Remembering Sandy Huffaker

Sad news—cartoonist Sandy Huffaker has died at age 73. A prolific artist with a signature style, Sandy got his start at newspapers like the the News & Observer before jumping to doing covers for TIME and dozens of national magazines.   Huffaker returned to editorial cartooning after 9/11. A long-time AAEC member, he was syndicated […]

Letter from the Editor: Daryl Cagle sounds the alarm

Daryl Cagle writes his congressman and sounds the alarm about the immediate danger facing newspapers, syndicates, small businesses—and freedom of the press. Cartoonists may be the canary in the coal mine, but this bird is singing. We’re running the entire letter here, as it makes points that have an impact on cartoonists across the industry. […]

Furlough you go

Filed under “Yeah, no” The Buffalo News took a rare stand (for editorial page editors that is) and told a reader in Letters to the Editor that No, they are NOT going to remove their editorial cartoonist just because the reader was offended by an opinion they didn’t agree with. Of course, the statement would […]

Billy Ireland Cartoon Library throws open their collection (online)

Cartoonists have always known it is worth traveling to The Ohio State University just to see The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. But now that the long-time Columbus, OH, mecca is closed to the public for the foreseeable future, what are fans of the cartoon arts to do? Luckily, the CLAM has been slowly […]

National Headliner Awards announced

Two AAEC Members — aka The Two Clays — were finalists for this year’s National Headliner Awards. The 86th awards, given by the Press Club of Atlantic City, were quietly announced online. CNN’s Clay Jones placed Third abd Clay Bennett of the Chattanooga Times Free Press took Second Place . This year’s winner was Michael Ramirez […]

Overseas Press Club goes to Adam Zyglis

A big congrats to Adam Zyglis, this year’s pick for the Overseas Press Club prize! The staff cartoonist for ‪The Buffalo News‬ was named the winner of the “Award Formerly Known as Thomas Nast” by ‪@opcofamerica‬ for his international political cartoons. The judges noted “An impressive caricaturist, Zyglis is the kind of cartoonist who would […]

Hot cartoonist on cartoonist action in new book on Macpherson

Canadian cartoonist Terry Mosher (better known by his pen name Aislin) has written a new book on Duncan Macpherson, one of the best cartoonists to come out of Canada in the 20th Century. “Professional Heckler” is the first biography of Macpherson, “a formidable and groundbreaking artist, he was also an alcoholic who struggled with many personal demons.” The […]

Labor duo end decades-long cartoon collaboration

Mike Konopacki and Gary Huck recently announced their retirement after 37 years of drawing labor-centric cartoons for Union newspapers. https://nwlaborpress.org/2020/03/end-of-an-era-labor-cartoonists-say-farewell/ The pair was one of the few “teams” working in editorial cartooning today. The two met at the 1979 convention of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists and began operating their syndicated cartoon service in […]

Randy Bish helps revive classic comic strip character

Editorial cartoonist Randy Bish is part of duo that is reviving The Yellow Kid —the first comic strip, and the source of the term “Yellow Journalism”— for the 21st century. The former long-time staffer for the Tribune Review drew the iconic character for a new book, “Hully Gee It’s The Yellow Kid,” celebrating the 125th anniversary of […]

All the interviews that are fit to print

While the newspaper industry continues to flee in terror from, umm, editorial cartoons, there is no shortage of media outlets that want to interview cartoonists. Here are all the links and articles that appeared online in January. First up WJTV on the prolific Marshall Ramsey: https://www.wjtv.com/news/focused-on-mississippi-marshall-ramsey-he-draws-his-own-conclusions/   Next, Cap Radio talks to Jack Ohman about political […]

Cartoonist kicks back and does it old school

Take a break this morning from Trump’s tweets and the never-ending news cycle to read this charming profile of a local cartoonist still producing work for a local paper. A life in pen and ink: Inside the studio with cartoonist Peter Waldner

Another Turkish cartoonist is imprisoned

It’s been reported that Turkey and its president Recep Erdogan have again targeted journalists and political cartoonists, jailing members of Yeni Asya Gazetesi under similar trumped up charges they’ve brought against other newspapers. ExpressionInterrupted @ExInt24 tweeted “Yeni Asya chief editor Kazım Güleçyüz @gulecyuzk and the newspaper’s cartoonist Halil İbrahim Özdabak were just convicted of “spreading propaganda […]

Remembering Charlie Hebdo 5 years later

This week saw the 5th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack on the Parisian weekly satirical Charlie Hebdo. France and cartoonists worldwide remember. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/france-remembers-charlie-hebdo-victims-anniversary-200107164754227.html ~ The cartoonists and satirists of #CharlieHebdo never wanted to be martyrs for #freespeech. This Washington Post piece from 2018 looks at the uneasy fit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/a-terrorist-attack-turned-charlie-hebdo-into-a-revered-institution-it-never-sought-to-be/2018/05/25/c5a392d8-4e11-11e8-85c1-9326c4511033_story.html ~ Five years after the massacre, […]

Philly paper publishes cartoons — and pays cartoonists!

A daily newspaper that’s not afraid of political cartoons? And then actually pays for them? Tis truly a holiday miracle! The Philly Inquirer recently solicited cartoonists for a special one-shot that appears today in the print edition. Most of the cartoons are local commentary on the City of Brotherly Love, but a few are on state […]

Draughon to extremes

What does it take to be a political cartoonist? What’s more important, the job itself? Or the work produced? Rob Tornoe, reporter for E&P and a cartoonist himself, talks to the stalwart Dennis Draughon about the sacrifices made in the quest of making a point. This and other industry news can be heard on the @EditorPublisher podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ni_k_4wiz4c

Handy guide to the “The Role of the Political Cartoonist”

Need another break? Listen to this 20-minute interview with @PhilHands on “The Role of the Political Cartoonist.” The Wisconsin State Journal cartoonist talks to @WPR about that and “The Year in Cartooning.” So pour yourself a stiff drink and click here: https://www.wpr.org/role-political-cartoonist

Adam Zyglis is sent to the Front

Take a break and watch this 5-minute short on cartoonist @adamzyglis. The doc “The Front Lines” touches upon all that’s important about a free press and free speech. Zyglis is the staff cartoonist for the Buffalo News and won the Pulitzer Prize for his work in 2015. He’s been working out of Tom Toles’ old office […]

Ann Telnaes Live! See her brave shouting, sputtering pols!

As she has since the beginning of @realDonaldTrump’s Impeachment, @AnnTelnaes has been live cartooning the hearings. Check out today’s excellent catch: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/12/04/sketches-house-judiciary-committees-first-impeachment-hearing/#click=https://t.co/8lDbNvgXN1

End of Year + End of the Decade!

It’s that time again—A look at End of the Year AND End of the Decade cartoons. Mike Thompson and USAToday will roll out a different collection every day during the month of December looking back over 2019 and the ‘teens. Click here and check back often.   https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/12/02/cartoons-politics-humor-obama-trump-politicap-cartoons/4267626002/

Another gig gone

We got an email the other day from cartoonist Jimmy Margulies, who wanted everyone to know yet another paper has dropped editorial cartoons. Margulies writes, “My first day back at work upon returning from the convention in Columbus [in October], I was told that my newspaper amNEW YORK was being sold by its owner Newsday […]

Gary Varvel talks about adapting to a post-newspaper world

Cartoonist Gary Varvel talks to local station WISH about what it takes to survive as a cartoonist post-newspaper. Varvel also has a new book and newsletter out, and will be having a book signing at the end of November. https://www.wishtv.com/news/local-news/dick-wolfsie-chats-with-editorial-cartoonist-gary-varvel/

RiP cartoonist Mike Lane

Word comes that long-time Baltimore cartoonist Mike Lane has passed away. Lane was at the Evening Sun for decades, and later joined Daryl Cagle’s online venture. Lane’s loose easy style had a Mad Magazine flair but hid a sharp, stinging wit. His long-time friend and coworker Dan Rodricks remembers the cartoonist. The editorial board he worked […]

BloodBath at GateHouse

GateHouse Media, a chain that owns some 156 newspapers, continued its apparent quest to run them all into the ground. Just before Memorial Day weekend, GateHouse announced the purging of reporters and personnel at two dozen or more papers across the country, including laying off what may be the last three staff cartoonists on their […]

More awards for Rogers, Lopez

  A big congrats to Rob Rogers for winning this year's Sigma Delta Chi award for editorial cartooning from Society of Professional Journalism. (Rob won in the category Newspaper *cough*cough* Circulation of 100,001+).   Also, kudos to Angelo Lopez , of Philippines Today, who won for editorial cartooning (Newspaper Cir. < 100,000/Regional Magazine/ Non-Daily Publication). […]

Rogers is the 2019 Headliner

  Rob Rogers is the top hat at this year's National Headliner Awards, winning for editorial cartooning. The judges said: "This collection of cartoons gets high marks for originality, diversity of topics, quality of artwork and clarity of message."   Congrats too to Second Place winner Ward Sutton, and Michael P. Ramirez, who took Third. […]

First Amendment exhibit opens at Billy Ireland Museum

A new exhibit on freedom of speech opens Saturday, April 20, at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. "Front Line: Editorial Cartoonists and the First Amendment" runs until October 20, and be part of this year's CXC Festival in Columbus, OH. The exhibit, with work from over 70 cartoonists, was curated by Lucy Caswell and […]

Dwane Powell fondly remembered

Condolences poured in from across North America after word broke that cartoonist Dwane Powell finally succumbed to the cancer he's been battling for years. Dwane died peacefully at home on Sunday, April 14. He and his wife Jan had just celebrated their 48th anniversary a few days before. Close family friend Ann Telnaes posted, "Dwane […]

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Ted Rall’s Anti-SLAPP Case

Cartoonist Ted Rall is one step closer to getting his day in court: the California Supreme Court has granted his Petition for Review in his anti-SLAPP lawsuit against the Los Angeles Times. Rall had been attempting to sue the newspaper for wrongful dismissal and defamation, after he was fired as a contributor by the newspaper […]

Facebook deletes anti-hate group posts by Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist

On March 28, Facebook summarily deleted a week-old editorial cartoon by PulitzerPrize-winning political cartoonist Clay Bennett, and then warned him his complaint about the deletion had violated the site's community standards & deleted that. Bennett's cartoon—shared from Andrews McMeel Syndication's online site GoComics—was swept up in Facebook's hasty effort to remove posts on white nationalism, white […]

Chappatte wins OPC award

A big congratulation to Patrick Chappatte on winning this year's Overseas Press Club of America prize for Cartooning! The [until recently named] Thomas Nast Award  is for "Best print, digital or graphic journalism on international affairs." The judges noted: "Patrick Chappatte’s cartoons … were a model of the form." Chappatte draws for the international edition of The New […]

Herblock award announced

The Herblock Award has been announced, and a big congrats to cartoonist Matt Davies! Matt is now the first person to win the Herblock twice. Also, congrats to cartoonist Clay Jones, who was this year's finalist. Clay has been killing it this year, sometimes doing two cartoons and a column each day of the week. […]

Interviews, get your interviews here!

First up, Mr. Media interviews Herblock finalist Clay Jones on what it takes to be a political cartoonist these days: https://www.spreaker.com/user/bob_andelman/1063-clay-jones-political-cartoonist   Next, listen to a chat with Canadian cartoonist Graeme MacKay! https://thespec.podbean.com/e/the-message-beware-of-cartoonist/   After that, read the Silicon Angle talks to New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly.    Then, former editorial cartoonist David Catrow talks about his […]

The AAEC Supports Ted Rall in His Legal Fight with the Los Angeles Times

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists has filed a Friend of the Court letter with the California Supreme Court on behalf of editorial cartoonist Ted Rall and his effort to have an anti-SLAPP judgment against him overturned. Rall is seeking to have the ruling set aside so that he may continue his lawsuit against the […]

All apologies — UPDATED

Two newspapers apologized for cartoons that ran in their pages this week. In San Diego, the Union-Tribune quickly pulled and apologized for a Steve Breen cartoon about disgraced TV actor Jussie Smollett. As the Washington Post wrote, "A cartoonist added Jussie Smollett to the list of ‘Famous African-American Storytellers.’ The backlash was swift." Both the editor and […]

Bad news for Bad Reporter’s Don Asmussen

A lot of you know Don Asmussen — he's attended several west coast AAEC conventions over the years, and his Bad Reporter strip is one of the funniest (and pointed) things out there.  Anyway, he's been battling cancer for awhile now, with an update that falls in the not-good column. Now the good news — […]

“Bring back Non-Sequitur” says a growing chorus of fans

Supporters of @TheWileyMiller's Non-Sequitur are fighting back at the strip's sudden cancellation in over 100 newspapers. Fans like comedian @ElayneBoosler feel editors overreacted to a recent "hidden message" that some found offensive. https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/02/20/a-campaign-to-restore-non-sequitur/ 

A look back at Charles Brooks

Charles Brooks had a long career as one of the bigger editorial cartoonists in the country. A former president of the AAEC, he was probably best known (at least among cartoonists) as the creator and editor of "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year," an annual compilation that ran for over 40 years. A reporter at […]

When metaphors go wrong

Canadian Michael de Adder has apologized for drawing a bound and gagged woman in a recent political cartoon. “Cartoonists sometimes have unanticipated secondary interpretations in cartoons that they don’t intend,” wrote the editorial cartoonist in a series of tweets over the weekend. https://globalnews.ca/news/4970311/halifax-artist-apologizes-cartoon-jody-wilson-raybould/ Several cartoonists had drawn the former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould with her hands […]

What the hell has Lee Judge been up to?

Editorial cartoonist and professional snark Lee Judge wants you to know what he's been up to since he "retired" — spoiler alert, he didn't really retire. So what the hell have I been up to?

Non Sequitur takes a hit

Wiley Miller scribbles a "shout out" to Donald Trump in the text of a cartoon — and it costs him a paper.   https://www.butlereagle.com/article/20190210/NEWS12/702119999   https://www.philly.com/news/pennsylvania/trump-comic-strip-non-sequitur-pennsylvania-newspaper-butler-eagle-20190211.html   UPDATE: Actually, a great many papers: https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/02/11/newspapers-are-dropping-non-sequitur-over-trump-transgression/ Also, Wiley Miller appears to have deleted his Twitter account in reaction to all the commenters piling on. UPDATE II: The […]

Epling on display

At a time when newspaper chains are idiotically cutting their popular staff cartoonists (yeah @Gannett, we're looking at you ya dummy), smaller papers still know the draw of having their own cartoonist—like Christopher Epling at the Appalachian News-Express in Kentucky. Epling has an exhibit of his artwork up this month.

All the news that’s left to print

Michael Peterson's must-read column Comic Strip of the Day was heavy on the editorial cartooning news yesterday, with the blogger's thoughts on recent layoffs, and a backlash against the new Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cartoonist. Speaking of, reporter D.D. Degg has been following the controversy over Steve Kelley's recent cartoons. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world of political […]

After the layoffs, Part I: Co-workers recall cartoonist Steve Benson

In the wake of sudden staff cuts at several Gannett papers last week, friends and co-workers of Steve Benson explained in no uncertain terms why he will be missed. (1) Karina Bland recalled the caricatures Benson drew for each staffer when they left at the Arizona Republic. The Steve Benson drawings you never saw and […]

A curious artifact from cartooning’s past

For several decades before television was ubiquitous, politicians in some parts of the country would often hire their supposed nemesis—editorial cartoonists—to draw them in paid political ads in the local newspaper A new article takes a look back at the forgotten practice: https://news.uark.edu/articles/45925/historical-quarterly-article-examines-lost-practice-of-paid-cartoon-advertising-in-arkansas-politics  

Cartoonist Pat Bagley lambasts Gannett for short-sighted and cruel staff cut 

by Pat Bagley, Immediate Past President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists   Bullet, meet metatarsal.  The Gannett newspaper chain just shot itself in the foot. Steve Benson, a 37-year veteran of The Arizona Republic and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for cartooning, was let go yesterday. He was swept up in a company-wide […]

Rall vs LA Times: Update

Last week, cartoonist Ted Rall vows to take his fight against the LA Times to the (state) Supreme Court after an Appeals court hands him a setback: https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-ted-rall-latimes-defamation-case-20190117-story.html Rall is having to battle a two-pronged attack from the until-recently TRONC owned paper. The media giant hit the freelancer with an anti-SLAPP suit 3 years ago […]

Remembering Wayne Stayskal

Just before Thanksgiving, word came that cartoonist Wayne Stayskal had died. A prolific scribbler, Stayskal was an editorial cartoonist with the Chicago Tribune from 1972 to 1984, and then moved south to Tampa Tribune from 1984 to 2004. He worked on several strips and continued to be syndicated worldwide until he retired in 2010. Conservative commentator […]

A bevy of interviews with cartoonists for your weekend reading

Editorial cartoonists have been in the news lately in more ways than one. Here are a half-dozen interviews with cartoonists from the past week or so: First up, Florida cartoonists Andy Marlette and Dana Summers talk shop on WMFE, in an interview that aired in the run up to a public appearance by the two:  https://www.wmfe.org/intersection-the-art-of-the-political-cartoon/92747 […]

Steve Kelley hired by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has hired Steve Kelley as its new full-time editorial cartoonist. Kelley will be joining the staff of the Pennsylvania paper beginning Nov. 4, drawing five cartoons a week. In a brief phone interview, the cartoonist talked about the opportunity. "I'm just thankful to have another gig," said Kelley, who thought he might never […]

How you can help after the hurricane

Georgia editorial cartoonist @AUG_RickMcKee talks about growing up in Mexico Beach, the devastation of #HurricaneMicheal, and how you can help people in the Panhandle struggling in the aftermath. https://www.augustachronicle.com/opinion/20181016/editorial-losing-your-place

Signe Wilkinson in India

Are you in India? Like cartoons? Stop by an see a new exhibit on Philadelphia cartoonist Signe Wilkinson @SigneWilk. If halfway around the world is too far to go for a show, you can at least read about it here.

Another day, another controversy — now with death threats! [UPDATED]

A cartoon by Chris Britt on the Kavanaugh hearing had generated outrage from conservatives, right-wing media personalities and numerous death threats — driving the cartoonist off of social media. The cartoon, which picked up on the Brett Kavanaugh's mention of his daughter praying for the nominee's attempted-rape accuser Christine Ford, ran on Friday, the day […]

AAEC + CXC — Two weekends of adventures in cartooning

The AAEC had two big weekends in a row, first in Sacramento for their annual convention, and then at CXC in Columbus, Ohio, (which is fast becoming one of the best comics art festivals in the country). Several reports came out in the wake of the Sacramento confab: • Graphic novelist Brian Fies ("A Fire Story") […]

The past is prologue

 —or— WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT THIS? AGAIN?? Michael Cavna at Comic Riffs talks to Ann Telnaes Signe Wilkinson, KAL and Mike Ramirez about comparing two supreme court nominee hearings a generation apart. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2018/09/24/im-very-angry-that-is-this-is-happening-again-cartoonists-compare-drawing-for-kavanaugh-and-thomas-hearings/?utm_term=.da7032cb07f2

Editor & cartoonist apologize for cartoon

It is not unusual for an editor to fold and apologize for a cartoon that has offended readers; it is more rare for the cartoonist to agree and pull the cartoon. Earlier this week, Gary Varvel published a cartoon in the IndyStar criticizing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford in the lead up to her testimony at […]

The AAEC lands in Sacramento for their annual convention

It's here! The annual gathering of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists kicks off this week in Sacramento, CA. Running from Sept. 20-22, the convention will see three days of cartoonists, satirists and journalists from across the US, Canada and Down Under hobnobbing, panelling and pub crawling.  AAEC President Pat Bagley, and co-hosts Jack Ohman […]

See three award-winning cartoonists in one evening

Like cartoons? Love democracy? In Indianapolis? Here's your chance to see three editorial cartoonists—Gary Varvel, Mike Luckovich and Michael Ramirez— in an evening of "Icons of Political Art," on Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. All three will be receiving the "Advancing American Democracy Award" during The Mary Tucker Jasper Speaker Series. This […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #32 — Kevin Siers

Kevin Siers may have won the Pulitzer Prize for his work at The Charlotte Observer, but he knows first hand the effect local cartoons can have. "I’ve followed an issue and kept hammering at it, and felt those cartoons contributed to change in the community. And, at least in one instance, drove the target of those […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #31 — V.C. Rogers

V.C. Rogers — known to his friends as Cullum — is a paradigm of local cartooning, having spent his career working for a trio of regional newspapers covering the triangle of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Recently pushed into early retirement by the elimination of his position at the alt-weekly Indy Week, at least […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #30 — Rob Rogers

Rob Rogers didn't want the job, but he is now the poster cartoonist for How to Get Fired. After a protracted battle with an increasingly pro-Trump publisher, Rogers was unceremoniously dumped this summer by his long-time newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, for failing to toe the toady line laid down by a new editor. With the […]

Mike Ramirez joins staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal

Usually when you use "staff job" and "cartoonist" in the same sentence, it's a bad thing with an unhappy ending. Not this time. It was announced this week that editorial cartoonist Mike Ramirez has landed on the staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner (and AAEC President from 1997-1998) will be […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #27 — Bruce Plante

When you talk to editorial cartoonists about the power of the local cartoons, one name keeps coming up: George Fisher. The Arkansas native drew for a number of newspapers from the late 1940s until his death in 2003, and while he was never syndicated nationally, his work had a huge impact — most notably in its […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #17 — Russell Hodin

Russell Hodin is another long-time purveyor of hyperlocal content. He has produced a weekly political cartoon for 26 years for the alt-weekly New Times in San Luis Obispo, known for its local investigative pieces, commentary, and the Shredder, its anonymously-penned editorial. ("The founding editor strongly believed in developing fearless local voices," says Hodin.) In recent years his efforts […]

Labor Day update — Robert Ariail laid off. Again.

  In an email following up on his entry in this year's Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning, Robert Ariail noted he had been let go from his long-time newspaper The State in June. This was the second time the cartoonist had been laid off from the South Carolina paper for budgetary reasons, having been […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #16 — Ron Hill

Cleveland caricaturist and illustrator Ron Hill draws one cartoon a week — for six different weekly community papers. His work tends to be hyperlocal, though he does occasionally venture into regional and state issues. In 2013, one of Hill's cartoons embroiled him, his editor and his publisher in a much-publicized lawsuit brought by Robert Murray of Murray […]

Mike Luckovich heads into a big weekend

Mike Luckovich has a new book of Trump cartoons out, and is making the rounds. Michael Cavna has an interview with the prolific political cartoonist over at Comic Riffs, and his hometown paper, the Atlantic Journal-Constitution, talks to Luckovich as part of a preview of his appearance at this weekend's Decatur Book Festival. "A Very Stable Genius" […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #13 — Ed Hall

Jacksonville cartoonist Ed Hall is distributed nationally through Artizans Syndicate, but it is his local work in The Baker County Press and The Herald he feels is most effective — and have landed him a bevy of state journalism awards. "I have found that the cartoons that garner the most attention are those that affect people in […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #10 — Peter Evans

Peter Evans may be the local cartoonist at its most fundamental. Drawing for The Islander News, "a highly-subscribed" weekly newspaper on the island of Key Biscayne in Metro Miami, Peter only covers what happens on the jot of land south of Miami Beach. "Cartoons, generally, do not advocate action," says Evans. "But many issues that […]

LAST CHANCE for Billy Ireland Freedom of Speech submissions

  Deadline to submit work for consideration to the 2019 Billy Ireland Cartoon Museum exhibit is this FRIDAY, AUGUST 31 "The Front Line: Editorial Cartoonists and the First Amendment" will run for six months in the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at The Ohio State University, and be part of next year's CXC and […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #8 — Charlie Daniel

No, not country/western dude, but Charlie Daniel of the Knoxville News Sentinel, who has drawn 15,000 cartoons over a 55-year career, and who was recently inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame.   [Throughout his life, Rex Babin championed those who focused on state and local issues in editorial cartoons, a field that he and other cartoonists […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #7 — J.D. Crowe

It may be grossly unfair (accent on the gross) for JD Crowe to have the embarrassment of riches that is Alabama to draw on, but he has made the most of it in his 18 years at the Alabama Media Group/AL.com. As he says, "My primary job is to keep our state’s goobers from jumping the […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #6 — John Cole

John Cole is a stalwart of local journalism, having worked as a reporter, graphic designer and cartoonist for newspapers in Kentucky, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Of his current job at The Times-Tribune, Cole says "Scranton and environs present a target-rich environment for political cartoonists, given the region’s history of official corruption, mismanagement and flat-out incompetence." […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #5 — Matt Bodkin

Matt Bodkin is, according to his profile, "a strange visitor from another planet who came to Long Island, New York with powers, abilities, and debt far beyond those who didn’t go to art school. Disguised as a mild-mannered IT technician, he fights a never-ending battle for truth, justice and suburbia." His work appears every Saturday […]

Rex Babin Award nominee #1 — Robert Ariail

[Editor's note: Throughout his life, Rex Babin championed those who focused on state and local issues in editorial cartoons, a field that he and other cartoonists felt was regularly overlooked by journalism contests. The "Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning" was launched in 2017 to celebrate those working in this niche. To that end, […]

Enter the Babin — exhibit and award update

Last week a new retrospective of the life and times of editorial cartoonist Rex Babin opened in Sacramento, CA. Focusing on Babin's state and local work, the California Museum launched "Drawing Caleeforneeya" with a special reception on Friday, August 17, on the late artist's birthday. Sactown Magazine has a look at the show, which runs […]

Pat Bagley on #FreePress

  In my nearly forty years at The Salt Lake Tribune I've known hundreds of journalists. They are the kind of people who place a found dollar bill on the edge of a cubicle and it will still there three days later. My colleagues are universally honest and conscientious about getting the facts straight. Likewise, […]

Unified Front

Tomorrow, August 16, 2018, hundreds of newspapers across the country will be uniting in confronting and denouncing Donald Trump's constant assault on the free press. Editorials cartoonists nationwide will be joining in defense of the First Amendment (cartoons have already begun to appear in the above feed.) Lead by the Boston Globe, over 200 newspapers […]

Rex Babin exhibit opens in Sacramento

Love cartoons? In Sacramento? Check out "Drawing Caleeforneeya: Political Cartoons Of Rex Babin." The retrospective of the late great editorial cartoonist opens today, Aug. 14, and runs thru Oct. 14. https://www.californiamuseum.org/rex-babin The AAEC will also be holding a special opening reception at the exhibit on Sept. 20 to kick off this year's convention.  

Cartoonist celebrates four decades of drawing

Editorial cartoonist Dan Saad celebrates the 40+ years of his career with a fundraiser for a special cause. Saad will deliver a presentation on cartoons and the creative process at 6:30 p.m. August 23 at The News-Herald office in Southgate, MI. The event is free, but donations will be accepted for VIP Camp Connect, a nonprofit […]

It’s happy hour somewhere…

  A mash of cartooning news for your Friday afternoon reading. So crack open a cold one and kick back…    If you're in Oregon, you still have time to make it to the annual Homer Davenport Community Festival in Silverton, OR this weekend, Aug. 3-5.  The annual celebration of hometown hero cartoonist Homer Davenport […]

Apologies, apologies, apologies

Wow, a lot of mea culpa's this week — and a lot of people upset over cartoons, editors who apologized for cartoons they okayed, and cartoons that cartoonists apologized for. First up, there are always two sides to every firing: The Jerusalem Post doubled down on its reasoning for canning editorial cartoonist Avi Katz (even […]

AAEC winners at the 2018 AAN Awards

A huge congratulations to Cullum Rogers, who won 1st Place in the Out of the Box/Cartoons category from the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. This was the second year in a row Rogers took first place for his cartoons in the Durham, North Carolina-based Indy Week. It was also the last time his work would be […]

Critquing cartooning as “real” art

Among cartoonists it is well known that, with the exception of enlightened centers of learning such as Ohio State and their Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (and to some degree Duke University), academia had been generally disdainful or ignorant of their artform. One Pittsburgh critic decides to look at the work of Rob Rogers […]

Charlie Daniel, Hall of Famer

A big congrats to editorial cartoonist Charlie Daniel, of the Knoxville News Sentinel, who was recently inducted into the Tennessee Journalism Hall of Fame! Daniel, a longtime AAEC member, produced 15,000 cartoons during a 55-year career. 

The week in Trump

So much newsing! Here are just a few drinks that we caught in our cup from the firehose that was Donald J. Trump this week: Friend of the AAEC Rod Emmerson found his "Trump Trophy" cartoon go viral worldwide. Barry Blitt talks about his latest New Yorker cover and how he SEES TRUMP EVERYWHERE. Bill […]

Turn on your radios!

Turn on your radios! NPR is dedicating an entire hour to editorial cartoonists during the 11am (EST) hour of @1a. Rob Rogers, Ann Telnaes, Pat Bagley and Scott Stantis are LIVE now!  https://the1a.org/shows/2018-07-18/editorial-cartoons

The Nib to launch quarterly magazine

Who says print is dead? The Nib, home of some of the finest editorial editorial cartoonists and comics journalists working today, has launched a kickstarter to help launch their new quarterly magazine. (Update: Half a day into the fundraiser, they are already halfway to their goal, so clearly the support is out there.)   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thenib/the-nib-magazine […]

Friday news roundup

Keith Knight has had it with irresponsible pundits preaching to their idiot choir.  Signe Wilkinson takes exception to the police shooting innocent citizens; the police object being called out as racist. And Gary Varvel changes his mind about Trump.      

Rob Rogers’ cartoons pop-up in a show — across the street from the White House

The Corcoran School of the Arts and Design is launching a pop-up show of cartoons by Rob Rogers this summer. Conveniently located across from the White House, the Trump-centric exhibit showcases all the cartoons killed by Rogers' former employer, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Co-sponsored by the AAEC, Spiked: The Unpublished Political Cartoons of Rob Rogers, runs from July […]

The return of the Rex Babin Local Cartooning Award

In 2005, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, tours an exhibit of California political cartoons with AAEC President Matt Davies and Rex Babin. Photo courtesy of Mary Locher.   CALL FOR ENTRIES: The 2018 Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning SACRAMENTO, CA — The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists is once again looking for […]

David G. Brown wins NNPA award for Best Editorial Cartoon

A big congrats to cartoonist David G. Brown (@dgbstudio) for winning Best Editorial Cartoon from the National Newspaper Publishers Association for his work in the LA Sentinel, the west coast’s largest African American newspaper. The NNPA includes over 200 newspapers nationwide. Brown's work appears regularly here.    

New show on old cartoons

Like history? Love cartoons? In Baton Rouge? Be sure to stop by the Old State Capitol for the new exhibit "Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons,” showing July 5 through Sept. 29. The collection features "cartoons from the so-called 'Golden Age' of print journalism —the first half of the 20th century— and includes the work […]

Rob Rogers celebrates his new independence with a piece in the Nib.

Political cartoonist and newly-liberated freelancer Rob Rogers celebrated his independence from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with a long-form comic on The Nib. The piece details his recent firing in graphic detail. https://thenib.com/i-was-fired-for-criticizing-trump. Meanwhile, over at the Washington Post, Michael Cavna interviews Rob and Nib founder Matt Bors about the comic. Good stuff!

A statement of solidarity with the Capital Gazette

"We stand with our brothers & sisters at the Capital Gazette. Journalism is the only profession specifically protected in the Constitution, yet our lives are under daily threat these days from those who would silence inconvenient facts & informed opinions." — Pat Bagley, President AAEC

Those darn cartoonists

One of the topics that came up repeatedly during the Rob Rogers' story is the 'trouble' an editorial cartoon can cause an editor or publisher. A cartoonist with a strong opinion often causes a strong reaction, and generates calls, letters and blowback from angry readers.    In the past week, two conservative cartoonists roiled readers […]

Monday musings

Ok … a couple more articles on Rob Rogers: these are from fellow cartoonists Kevin Siers and Nick Anderson, who both sound the alarm that this was more than just about a newspaper staffer losing a job. Also, here's a fun bit by Bill Plympton. Most people don't know this, but the Academy Award-nominated animator […]

The Dude abides — our Rob Rogers wrapup

One week after he was fired by his long-time newspaper for not towing the Trump line, Rob Rogers is doing — great! News of his dismissal has gone international, one of his cartoons went viral and became an iconic image of the outrage against the Trump administration's immigrant policy, and he successfully launched a new […]

Rob Rogers launches a Patreon Page

In the wake of getting the boot from his hometown paper, Rob Rogers has launched a Patreon Page for his cartoons. And at the rate at which fans are signing up to support his work, the cartoonist may not miss the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette any time soon.

Joel Pett interviews Rob Rogers for Cartoonists Rights Network

JOEL PETT INTERVIEWS THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE’S ROB ROGERS AND ASKS WHY HE OBJECTS TO HAVING HIS CARTOONS “PRE-FILTERED THROUGH THE SENSIBILITIES OF HUMORLESS CORPORATE LICKSPITTLES WHOSE LIVINGS DEPEND ON NOT ROCKING THE BOAT…OR THE SHIP OF STATE.” JUNE 17, 2018 — from the CRNI website A cartoonist is jailed. Another is charged with treason. A […]

Two takes on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, from both ends of the spectrum

Two more views of  Rob Rogers’ termination—the first from a rightwing columnist who thinks the media is over-reacting and the outrage is fake: https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2018/06/no_the_firing_of_the_pittsburgh_postgazette_cartoonist_is_not_a_threat_to_free_speech.html A few things to mention: The writer used to work as an editorial page editor for the Investor’s Business Daily who, it should be noted, canned conservative cartoonist Michael Ramirez in 2016 […]

MSM catches Rob Rogers fever

The reporting on Rob Rogers’ firing continued over the weekend, with Fox News (!), the New York Times (again) and an interview with friend Joel Pett via Cartoonists Rights Network International — normally an organization that reports on oppression of the press in other countries. Not, you know, America.  

Sunday reading: Your Rob Rogers update

[Hi, all. While I realize the AAEC feed has become All Rob, All the Time, I'm not going to apologize: his firing by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette appears to be a tipping point, and the events of the past few weeks have been a clarion call to cartoonists and news media everywhere. Support of Rob Rogers […]

Here’s your Rob Rogers Trump termination rodeo [UPDATED]

The media has —justifiably— reacted strongly to the firing of cartoonist Rob Rogers by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Here's what's been posted in the last 24 hours. More to follow no doubt. Washington Post  Michael Peterson Huffington Post The Detroit Free-Press The Hill The Wrap Philly.com Poynter CBS Yahoo Daily Kos Pgh blog The Incline Even […]

Rob Rogers roundup

Rob Rogers' story went national last week, with interviews by CNN's Jake Tapper and coverage in the Washington Post. Here's the roundup ICYMI CNN  CBS Washington Post Comic Riffs In fact, all the Pennsylvania papers have been weighing in on Rob Roger's battle to keep his job: Philadelphia Inquirer  The Patriot-News  Alt-weekly Pittsburgh City Paper Politics […]

The Battle for Pittsburgh — UPDATED

By now you've probably heard that Rob Rogers is in a war with his own editor at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Keith Burris, a pro-Trump sympathizer, has been spiking Rogers' daily cartoons for a couple of weeks now — and readers have begun to notice. The story went national over the past 48 hours and is […]

A Statement from the AAEC Board on Rob Rogers and the Post-Gazette

The longtime cartoonist for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has gone missing. Actually, we know exactly where Rob Rogers is—at his desk creating the excellent award-winning editorial cartoons he is famous for. But it’s those cartoons that have been missing for over a week from the Post-Gazette editorial pages, though we know Rob is drawing them because […]

Have you seen me?

You don't need to go to Turkey or Germany to have your cartoons censored—in this country newspaper publishers are more than happy to do it to their own. Case in point, Rob Rogers' cartoons seemed to have disappeared from the pages of his long-time paper The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Daily Cartoonist has the story, sourced […]

Cartoonist fired after refusing to apologize

Apparently American newspaper editors aren't the only ones who fold under criticism after initially approving an editorial cartoon. The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung apologized for a cartoon criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that appeared in its pages last week. The image, which Dieter Hanitzsch drew in the wake of the Gaza massacre, was seen by […]

Joel Pett on Joel Pett

A sit-down drive-by interview with Kentucky cartoonist Joel Pett, as he looks back at his eclectic career. https://www.triplicate.com/opinion/6250166-151/angels-and-desperados-interview-with-an-editorial-cartoonist  

Jake Thrasher wins SPJ Mark of Excellence

A big congrats to Jake Thrasher for winning the 2018 Mark of Excellence from Society of Professional Journalism! The SPJ award honors the best in student journalism. Thrasher was a finalist for last year’s Courage in Cartooning Award from the CRNI after receiving death threats for an anti-KKK cartoon in his university newspaper. And in […]

Sunday reading #2: Signe on Signe

Award-winning cartoonist Signe Wilkinson reflects on her career in this interview with a Philly website.Wilkinson isn't retiring, but is cutting back on her weekly output to, yes, spend more time with her family.   https://www.chestnuthilllocal.com/2018/05/18/pulitzer-prize-winner-ex-hiller-reflects-on-career/  

Another one bites the dust

The Daily Cartoonist reports that Glenn McCoy has been let go from his long-time staff slot at the Belleville News-Democrat. No word on the reason, but considering the paper is owned by McClatchy​, cutbacks are strong suspected. McCoy, who was an AAEC member for years, is one of the more prominent conservative editorial cartoonists working […]

This week in awards

Congrats to Mark Robinson & Kevin Kallaugher for their recents wins at the MDDC Press Awards. @kaltoons took 1st & 2nd place in his division and Best in Show with his work for the Baltimore Sun. @CoolComix won 1st place in his division for this editorial cartoon. MDDC represents over 160 news outlets in the […]

Aislin to receive honorary degree

Congrats to Canadian cartoonists Terry Mosher (aka Aislin) & Serge Chapleau, both of whom are to receive honorary degrees from Concordia University. The award is being bestowed “for holding the powerful to account through their sharp penmanship.”

“Here’s why 2018 is a huge moment in the history of political cartoons.”

The Washington Post's Michael Cavna makes the case in Comic Riffs.    FOR MUCH of the history of American editorial cartooning, the standard format has held strong: a bold, single image carrying the entire metaphoric weight of the opinion being expressed. Major mainstream contests have reflected that primacy, including the Pulitzer Prizes for nearly a […]

This week in awards

Congrats to Bruce MacKinnon, who won his seventh National Newspaper Award for editorial cartooning. The NNAs were established by the Toronto Press Club in 1949 to encourage excellence and reward achievement in daily newspaper work in Canada. + + + + +  Cartoonist John Deering was a winner of a Great Plains Journalism Award for […]

A statement on Musa Kart and the oppression of journalists in Turkey

The oft-repeated statement “an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us” applies to political cartoonists worldwide after Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart was sentenced to prison. Why should Americans care about the fate of a satirist who mocked his president in a country half way around the world? Because it can […]

A belated (and in absentia) congratulations to cartoonist Musa Kart

Turkish cartoonist Musa Kart won the cartooning for peace prize on World Press Freedom Day — but was prevented from receiving it in person due to a travel ban. Kart's wife and daughter accepted the 2018 International Press Cartoon Prize on his behalf. Here is the complete report from his newspaper Cumhuriyet (which, it should […]

File under “Things are tough all over”

The Media Online asks "Do South African print publications still value cartoons?" It seems South African cartoonists are facing the same challenges as their North American counterparts. Last one out turn off the lights!   https://themediaonline.co.za/2018/05/do-south-african-print-publications-value-cartoons-anymore/

When an editorial cartoonist and H.L. Mencken joined forces to fight lynching

While Maryland was considered part of the north, and fought on the side of the Union during the Civil War, it is still south of the Mason-Dixon line, and African-Americans living there were lynched into the 1930s. In 1931, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Edmund Duffy joined with H.L. Mencken in a years-long newspaper campaign to fight […]

U of VA to be Pat Oliphant’s forever home

Pat Oliphant,one of the most influential political cartoonists of the 20th century, has donated his papers to the University of Virginia, an archive that includes correspondence, original artwork, sketchbooks & sculptures.    https://augustafreepress.com/famed-political-cartoonists-archives-arrive-at-uva/     UPDATE: Radio IQ talks to Pat Oliphant about the recent donation of his papers to the University of Virginia. The […]

Musa Kart found guilty in Turkish kangaroo court

Cartoonist Musa Kart, along with 13 other journalists from the Cumhuriyet newspaper, were found guilty this week in their politically-motivated show trial in Turkey. Kart was sentenced to 3+ years for drawing cartoons, while fellow journalists got up up to 8 years. The verdict can be appealed.  Numerous human rights organizations immediately condemned the proceedings. The […]

Comic Riffs reporter wins SPJ award

A big congrats to friend of the AAEC Michael Cavna on his Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society for Professional Journalists. Michael's touching animated remembrance of his father won in the Audio Slide Show category. If you haven't seen it, keep a box of tissues closeby. https://comicsdc.blogspot.com/2018/04/cavna-wins-award-from-society-of.html?m=1 Cavna writes about editorial cartooning on a […]

The State of Our Satirical Union — Day 1

This weekend, cartoonists, humorists, legal scholars and historians gathered to discuss the State of Satire in America 30 years after the landmark Supreme Court case Hustler v Falwell. Mike Peterson has complete coverage of the 2 day event, starting here: https://www.weeklystorybook.com/comic_strip_of_the_daycom/2018/04/satire-conference-opening-night.html

A new logo for the AAEC!

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists launches a new icon, updating its venerable ink bottle for the digital age    DURHAM, NC — The AAEC has a new look. The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, a professional organization that promotes the interests of political cartoonists and comics journalists in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, has […]

Sunday reading #4: A new exhibit on Ding Darling opens in Iowa

Reading for your Sunday afternoon #4: A new exhibit on Jay "Ding" Darling looks at one of the most influential cartoonists of the early 20th century. The multiple Pulitzer Prize winner's work had a profound effect on early conservation efforts across the country. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/columnists/daniel-finney/2018/03/24/ding-darling-environment-conservation-wetlands-preservation-duck-stamp-cartoonists-drake-university/437563002/

Sunday reading #2: Marshall Ramsey on his father’s support

Reading for your Sunday afternoon #2: "My dad came up to me afterward and said, 'You're the first person I've ever known who knew what they wanted to do at eight-years-old—and did it.' I'll never forget that moment." —Cartoonist Marshall Ramsey remembers a father's support.   https://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/2018/04/12/fathers-gift-what-dad-gave-me-when-began-chasing-my-dream/508140002/  

Clay Bennett talks First Amendment, anger and frustration

Pulitzer-Prize winner Clay Bennett returned to his alma mater to talk First Amendment and the peculiar business of being a political cartoonist. The Times Daily covers the highlights of Bennett's talk at UNA:  https://www.timesdaily.com/news/local/bennett-first-amendment-needs-appreciation/article_6d90b20b-ce80-54cf-bf73-df1248f85ae2.html

Ward Sutton is the 2018 Herblock Award winner

  The Herb Block Foundation has announced that Ward Sutton has been named the winner of the 2018 Herblock Prize for editorial cartooning.   Ward Sutton has been creating biting editorial cartoons for The Boston Globe since 2008. He experiments with size and format, often producing multi-panel cartoons that can read like a graphic novel. In […]

Joel Pett vs. gun nuts

Political cartoonist Joel Pett takes aim at the "murder lobby" of the NRA in a weekend column, and considers how America has changed since Ronald Reagan got shot 37 years ago. https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article203232084.html

Cartoonist alert — Call for submissions #3

Making Faces: Editorial Cartoonists and the First Amendment [working title]Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, April 20 — October 27, 2019 Here's the big one! Lucy Caswell and Ann Telnaes will be co-curating a major exhibition on cartoonists and the First Amendment. It will run for 6 months in the lead-up to the 2019 AAEC […]

Cartoonist alert — Call for submissions #1

#SunshineWeek is fast approaching! Keep the focus on an open government and push back against excessive official secrecy during this annual highlighting of the critical importance of access to public information. If you're a political cartoonist, send your work on freedom of the press to sunshineweek@asne.org by next week. Cartoons will be featured during Sunshine […]

Political cartoons after Parkland

"I believe the best political cartoons come from a place of outrage and anger," says Rob Rogers.   Poynter talks to cartoonists Rob Rogers, Ann Telnaes and Signe Wilkinson on the, umm, target-rich environment of 2018's news cycle.   https://www.poynter.org/news/tested-parkland-cartoonists-see-movement-developing-and-more-topics-draw  

Newspaper apologizes for “offensive cartoon”

A New Mexico newspaper has apologized for running a Sean Delonas editorial cartoon after local protests & statewide complaints. Delonas, a former staff cartoonist for the New York Post, is no stranger to controversy. Here are the details: Here are the deets: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/09/albuquerque-journal-apologizes-for-cartoon-depicting-dreamers-mugging-white-couple/?utm_term=.18aa13058437 https://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/new_sean_obama_as_murdered_chimp_delonas_cartoon_aggravates_new_mexicans/  

Etta Hulme talk this Friday

Like political cartoons? Love the work of Etta Hulme? In Texas? Friends of the UTA Libraries will discuss the late cartoonist's groundbreaking work this Friday, February 9 at 7:30pm. Click here for details.

Two contests to kick off February

We got two, count 'em, two announcements to kick off February: #1 The 2018 Locher Award is now open for submissions, with an extended deadline this year of JUNE 15. The John Locher Memorial Award is a contest for aspiring cartoonists, ages 18-25, who draw on political and social topics. Complete details here: https://locheraward.org/ (Also, […]

Post profiles departing alt-weekly cartoonist

The Washington Post has a wonderful profile of editorial cartoonist Cullum Rogers. Cullum is a unique personality, with a witty insight to life in North Carolina, and his voice will be missed by readers of Indy Week. More disappointing, however, is that the alt-weekly isn't bothering to replace the long-time cartoonist with another insightful voice […]

AAEC Statement on cartoonist Cullum Rogers & Indy Week

While cutting off essential body parts is an effective weight-loss strategy, it tends to have bad long-term health consequences. So it is that yet another cartoonist is let go and the position eliminated, all in the name of cost-cutting. North Carolina-based Indy Week is dropping its long-time political cartoonist Cullum Rogers without plans for a […]

Two cartoonists celebrate milestones

Two long-time editorial cartoonists marked recent milestones. Dave Granlund celebrated 50 years behind the drawing desk. Meanwhile, AAEC member Chan Lowe simply celebrated still having a job. After getting laid off from his long-time Florida newspaper a few years ago, Lowe found himself back in his old stomping ground in New England. Lowe talks to […]

And now, a message from President Ann Telnaes

  We need to change. For several years now we have complained, bemoaned, and raged over the disappearance of our traditional home, the print newspaper. And the loss of newspapers is not just affecting our profession but is having an impact as well on how we’ve traditionally funded our annual conventions. Fewer and fewer of […]

How to draw Trump

After the Disney disaster, there have been no shortage of cartoonists pointing out where the audioanimatronic of Donald Trump went wrong. Matt Wuerker and Politico have put together a helpful guide on HOW TO DRAW TRUMP, with suggestions from some of the best cartoonists working today. And now, with out further collusion: https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/drawing-trump/  

Dwane Powell talks turkey about cartooning

Cartoonist Dwane Powell appeared on WUNC's The State of Things Monday, Dec. 18, discussing his career and the future of editorial cartooning. Listen to the cached version here.

Lee Judge leaves Kansas City Star

Political cartoonist Lee Judge has stepped down from his paper after 37-years. That's a hell of run, these days. In an article discussing his departure, Judge says "As anyone paying attention already knows, The Star is going through changes, and my departure is one of those changes. You can curse the changes or adjust and […]

Post-Convention report: Cartoonists win New York Marathon!

Last week's annual Association of American Editorial Cartoonists Convention at Hofstra University on Long Island was one for the books. A big congratulations to host Matt Davies and President Ann Telnaes for pulling off a memorable gathering! It was a fitting 60th anniversary celebration for our organization. The weather was delightful for this time of year […]

AAEC Statement on Farm News Decision

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists condemns the decision of Iowa’s Farm News publication to part ways with long-time cartoonist and contributor Rick Friday on the grounds of an unhappy advertiser. This decision is a disservice to journalism and to the people of Fort Dodge, Iowa. This represents a dangerous trend among newspapers where the vitally important wall separating editorial content from advertising is beginning to erode.
The cartoon in question was truthful. Friday displayed courage in speaking out for the less fortunate in the farming industry. The cartoon was a factual statement on the increasing economic disparity of Big Agribusiness and the small farmers of Iowa. He should be thanked for his work, not disgracefully shown the door. For us to maintain a strong freedom of the press, editors and journalists around the country should be beholden to truth and the public good, not the corporate interests of their advertisers. The readers of Farm News deserve far better.

Your Layoff Update (Summer edition)

In a recent article on The Huffington Post, editor-turned-freelance writer Jason Notte said: “If newspaper’s death knell is ringing, editorial cartoonists are pulling the rope.” Ignoring the fact that his chest-thumping piece, “Ten Features that Are Dying with your Newspaper,” was yet another in the newspapers-are-dead-do-you-hear-me-dead! category Huffpo is apparently trying to corner, I kinda […]

Letters to the editor

[After the latest rounds of layoffs at the Memphis Commercial Appeal, the city’s alt-weekly, Memphis Flyer, published a hard-hitting look at the current condition of the daily paper — an article that left CA editor Chris Peck rather publicly upset. 
Bill Day “reaches out” to his former boss in this letter to the Memphis Flyer.] […]

David Horsey, Magnum (Post) P-I

By Michael Cavna The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's editorial cartoonist, David Horsey, is better situated than most of his newsroom colleagues — as well as many newspaper cartoonists. Largely because of the structure of Horsey's employment setup, the two-time Pulitzer winner knows this: His job, in some form, is safe. In a recent interview, Horsey talked with […]

Where to next?

As our current model collapses around us — whether it is a business model, employer model or, in the case of the AAEC, convention sponsor model — the debate on what to do next grows louder. While no one’s figured out a solution yet, at least we’re talking about it. Here are two recent discussions, […]

OUR MISSION

The mission of the AAEC is to champion and defend editorial cartooning and free speech as essential to liberty in the United States and throughout the world.

The AAEC aims to be an international leader in support of the human, civil, and artistic rights of editorial cartoonists around the world, and to stand with other international groups in support of the profession.



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CARTOONS IN EDUCATION

Cartoons in Education

Every two weeks throughout the year, The Learning Forum and the AAEC offers CARTOONS FOR THE CLASSROOM, a free lesson resource for teachers discussing current events.  Visit NIEonline.com for more lesson plans.