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 my own community and state. These images have a way of touching people on an emotional level and in ways that a national issue cartoon cannot. It’s these stories that hold the most weight with readers because they are stories that directly affect their lives. These are the stories that Rex enjoyed. My fondest memories of Rex are when we would discuss what was going on in my hometown. He wasn’t interested in the pontificating of the Washington punditry. He wanted to know what LOCAL story I was working on that week."
[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, we will be showcasing each cartoonist who entered the contest this year, one or two each day in alphabetical order (more or less), leading up to the AAEC Convention in Sacramento, CA, and the announcement of the award winner on Saturday, Sept. 22.]
