Cartoonists Rights 2023 pledge drive.

From Cartoonists Rights.

If you support freedom of speech and would like to help out cartoonists around the world, please consider donating to support the work of Cartoonists Rights Network. 

Donate button here.

Mike Ramirez Responds

From Newsweek.

Cartoonist Michael Ramirez drew a cartoon depicting Hamas's use of human shields for the Washington Post. 

The Post then erased the cartoon from its website amid an uproar from its own journalists.

Ramirez stands by his cartoon—and its critics.

Jen Sorensen Wins 2023 Berryman Award

From The Daily Cartoonist.

The National Press Foundation has awarded Jen Sorensen the 2023 Berryman Award for editorial cartooning.

The judging panel noted the high quality of candidates from across the country. They were impressed with Sorensen’s “unique” skill in taking on a “galaxy of issues.”

“[Her] cartoons aren’t just reacting to one thing that happened in the news, she looks at bigger trends.”

Sorensen will accept the award, which comes with a $2,500 prize, at NPF’s annual awards dinner on February 15, 2024.

Michael Ramirez and The Washington Post

From The Daily Cartoonist.

Editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez spoke to Fox News Digital about The Washington Post pulling his Hamas cartoon and revealed some details of his contract with the paper, and if that relationship will continue. 

Ramirez cartoon pulled from The Washington Post

From The Print.

The Washington Post's Opinion Editor put out a note saying he 'regrets' approving cartoon by two-time Pulitzer winner Michael Ramirez depicting use of human shields by Hamas.

Director of Librexpression Centre on the Steve Bell case

From Cartoon Movement. 

On October 9, 2023, Steve Bell, famous editorial cartoonist of the British newspaper The Guardian for 42 years, was not only refused a cartoon considered anti-Semitic, but was notified that none of his cartoons would be published until his contract expires in May 2024. 

A contract which, of course, will not be renewed.

World Forum for Democracy

From Cartooning for Peace.

Cartooning for Peace is taking part in the World Forum for Democracy, organised by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg from 6 to 8 November 2023.

An opportunity for Cartooning for Peace to launch its report on the situation of threatened cartoonists around the world at the Forum Talk organised during the event: 

"Press cartoonist: an endangered profession" with Kak (France), Terry Anderson (UK), Sanity Panels (India), Jean-Paul Marthoz and Tanja Gonggrijp.

The Forum Talk will be broadcast live on the World Forum for Democracy's website.

Israeli cartoonist modifies Gaza drawing

From Alba Wafa.

Jordanian cartoonist Emad Hajjaj took to social media to decry the hijack of one of his drawings on the situation in Gaza.

Results of 39th Aydin Dogan International Cartoon Competition

From the Aydın Doğan Foundation.

First Prize, Pawel Kuczynski, Poland

This year, 570 cartoonists from 64 countries participated in the Aydin Dogan International Cartoon Competition, which brings together artists from all over the world who bring different ideas and beliefs into cartoons and allows them to express their art, with a total of 1,365 works.

Record price set at auction for single-panel cartoon

From CartoonStock.

July 5th, 1993 was a simpler time. Facebook, Google, the iPhone and the phrase “social media” had yet to be invented. The “World Wide Web” aka “the internet” had been, but only techies who knew how to work a dial-up modem were actually using it.

Cartoonist Peter Steiner wasn’t among them. And yet, in that week’s issue of The New Yorker, he was somehow able to distill an essential truth of what, for better or worse, or maybe both, the internet was, is, and always will be.

Cartoonists rally to Steve Bell's defense

From the Greek Cartoonists Association Facebook page.

The Greek Cartoonists Association strongly protests the Guardian’s dismissal of colleague Steve Bell, one of the best cartoonists in the world. 

The termination of his employment took place in the aftermath of unsupported accusations of "anti-Semitic stereotypes" in his last cartoon, accusations that the paper's management sadly adopted .

"Britain's Best Political Cartoons 2023"

 From Amazon.

Bringing much-needed humour to another chaotic year in politics, Britain's Best Political Cartoons 2023 offers a tour of the most high-profile, notorious and absurd news stories of the year, as seen through the eyes of our nation's finest satirists. 

This collection features the work of Peter Brookes, Steve Bell, Morten Morland, Nicola Jennings, Christian Adams, Dave Brown, Brian Adcock and many more, alongside captions from Britain's leading cartoon expert. 

"Cartoonists on the line"

From Cartoonists Rights.

Cartooning for Peace and Cartoonists Rights will be releasing, on November 7, "Cartoonists on the Line", a report on the situation of threatened cartoonists around the world.

Cartoonists Rights are pleased to announce a new report – Cartoonists on the Line – covering the situation of cartoonists and threats to their freedom of expression, written jointly with colleagues Cartooning for Peace, and supported by our partners Freedom Cartoonists. 

Steve Bell sacked by Guardian

From the BBC website.

Photo: Alamy

Long-serving Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell has been sacked by the newspaper in a row over a drawing he created of Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

The cartoon, featuring Netanyahu operating on his own stomach, showed a cut in the outline of the Gaza Strip.

Montreal Cartoon Art Festival and AI

From the FBDM's Facebook page.

Portrait: Boum

In 2023, 290 comics creators were present at our festival. It goes without saying that without their presence, our celebration of comics would not be the same.

The advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) are impressive, but there is currently a lack of supervision and regulations to protect creators. The situation worries many, and understandably so. 

This is why MCAF wishes to position itself today as an event that focuses on art made by humans. 

We're not at all opposed to tools that can lighten artists' workloads, but art generated in whole or in part by artificial intelligence will not be considered for the Bédélys Awards, nor allowed for sale at the Festival. 

This is our way of showing our support for the comics creators. 

- Mélanie La Roche, Executive Director

The Townsie Award 2023

From the ACC website.

Every two years, the Association of Canadian Cartoonists gives out its Townsend Award, otherwise known as "The Townsie", to both Anglophone and Francophone cartoonists whose work stood out during that period.

This year the prize was awarded both to me and Dale Cummings during our convention last week in San Francisco.

Cold feet at The Guardian

From Sofi Siete.

The Guardian has rejected a Steve Bell cartoon of Netanyahu inspired by a famous Lyndon B. Johnson Vietnam cartoon made in 1966 by David Levine.

UPDATES

The Guardian has informed Bell that they won't publish any of his cartoons for the next six months!

More on the subject in The Daily Cartoonist.

AAEC convention in San Francisco

From the AAEC Facebook Page.

Cartoonists from across the US and Canada (and one from New Zeland) descend on San Francisco today for the confab of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

UPDATE

This year's AAEC awards have been announced:

Star Tribune Eliminates Staff Editorial Cartoonist Position

From The Daily Cartoonist.

The Star Tribune is moving on without an editorial cartoonist, following an announcement Monday that Mike Thompson would be moved from a full-time role to a freelance position.

The independent Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Mike Thompson, who the newspaper hired in April of this year as a staff editorial cartoonist, will now be working for the paper in a freelance position.

Dustin bites the dust in Gannett newspapers

From Jeff Parker's Facebook page.

After 21 years of publication in Gannett newspapers across the US, today marks the final appearance of Dustin, including our local paper as the company switches to a standardized comics lineup. 

The History of Graphic Design: 1890-1959

Rom Amazon.

History is a complex business. Fortunes boom and bust, empires wax and wane, and change whether social, political, or technological has its winners, its losers, its advocates, and its enemies. 

Through all the turbulent passage of time, graphic design with its vivid, neat synthesis of image and idea has distilled the spirit of each age.

"History of Press Graphics, 1819-1921"

From Amazon.

In today’s world of instant snapshots, 24-hour news, and round-the-clock connectivity, an illustrated press where the images are as important as the text has become an increasingly rare art form. 

This far-reaching compendium celebrates the golden age of graphic journalism as a distinct and unique genre and a laboratory for developing avant-garde aesthetics.

Spanning from 1819 to 1921, the collection covers a broad range of news graphics and political and satirical cartoons. 

David Horsey on the dying breed of editorial cartoonists

From The Seattle Times.

Political cartoonists took up their pens to offend the powerful and defend the downtrodden as soon as the first publishers began hand-cranking newspapers through their printing presses in the 18th century. 

Benjamin Franklin created his own political art to fire up the American Revolution. So did Paul Revere.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival

From the Festival's website.

The Ottawa International Animation Festival will take place September 20 – 24, 2023.

Metroland newspaper group faces bankruptcy

From The Globe and Mail.

Toronto Star publisher Nordstar Capital LP plans to put its regional newspaper business into bankruptcy last Friday, a move that will see more than 70 weekly papers converted into digital-only platforms and 605 jobs eliminated.

BBC Scotland removes cartoons of politicians from social media

From BBC News.

Caricature of Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater

The assault on ‘nasty’ cartoonists and the censorship of their work continues unabated. The latest bowing to political pressure and culling of satirical commentary comes from BBC Scotland.

Winners of the European Cartoon Award 2023

 

Ben Jennings is the winner of the European Cartoon Award 2023, with a cartoon published by The Economist.

Canadian editorial cartoonists bid farewell to Brian Gable

Cartoon by Wes Tyrell

The Globe and Mail threw a retirement party in Toronto last Friday and presented Brian Gable with six cartoons of himself drawn by his confrères across the country.

Brian Gable turns the page

From The Globe and Mail. 

"I was a Globe editorial cartoonist for 35 years. Now, I turn the page to new adventures."

Finalists of the European Cartoon Award 2023

On September 14, from the Beeld & Geluid museum in The Hague, the European Cartoon Award (ECA) will celebrate its first ‘Cartoons Day’, a day entirely dedicated to editorial cartoons, made of panels, workshops that will culminate with the Award Ceremony of the European Cartoon Award 2023 and the opening of this year’s exhibition.

"Today's cartoonist" on the AAEC website

From the AAEC website.

UPDATE

You can see my profile here.

Globe and Mail cartoonist Brian Gable retires

 

After a long career as editorial cartoonist at The Globe and Mail, Brian Gable announced this morning his retirement to its' readers.

Here is a selection of some of his recent cartoons:

Award ceremony of the European Cartoon Award 2023

From Studio Europa Maastricht.

Join us for the award ceremony of the European Cartoon Award 2023 and the exhibition opening of the cartoons on ‘Cartoons Day’. 

This is a day dedicated to the ECA cartoonists, with panels, book presentations and the Award Ceremony of the European Cartoon Award 2023. 

It is possible to only attend the award ceremony and exhibition opening.

Winners of the 50th Salão Internacional de Humor de Piracicaba

From the Salão Internacional de Humor de Piracicaba's Facebook page.

The winners of the 50th Piracicaba International Humor Exhibition were announced on August 26 at the opening ceremony, held at Teatro do Engenho Central.

"Picturing the Game: An Illustrated Story of Hockey"

 I've just received a complimentary copy of "Picturing the Game" a door-stopper that contains celebrated illustrations of our national game.

Very happy that my modest contribution was included along such an array of wonderful cartoons.

The AAEC has a new website

From the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists.

Welcome to the newest iteration of the AAEC website. 

Here you can find the latest news on the “dying art” of political cartooning — sometimes it’s even good news! — along with profiles of those who still endeavor to create it, as well as connections to other cartoon, free speech and journalists’ rights groups. 

European Cartoon Award 2023 Shortlist

From European Cartoon Award.

We are proud to announce the shortlist for the European Cartoon Award 2023.

After reviewing 414 entries from 25 countries, a jury of five experts in editorial cartoons and journalism has selected the 16 best cartoons.

Winners of the 8th World Humor Awards

From World Humor Awards.

Here are all the prizes of the 8th edition of the World Humor Awards. The theme this year was "biodiversity".

"30 Years of Wallace & Gromit" Exhibition

From the Cartoon Museum.

The Cartoon Museum will be opening an exhibition this September with Aardman to celebrate 30 years of Wallace and Gromit and "TheWrongTrousers".

The museum will be displaying a treasure trove of Wallace and Gromit goodies, including storyboards, sketches, props and insight from the people that made the film. We will also be exploring the cartoons that inspired Nick Park and his team. 

The story behind Twitter's logo rebrand

From Mother Jones.

The new logo on the left and Monotype font on the right.

Yesterday, Twitter launched its logo rebrand, turning its famous bird logo into an “X.”

Since 2022, Elon Musk has said he hopes to make Twitter into a “super app” called X. 

In theory, this would mean the social network would become a catch-all for connecting us in a state of “unlimited interactivity—centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking,” as CEO Linda Yaccarino buzzworded. 

But when the new logo went live, users on Twitter (or X, whatever) noted an interesting facet of the new logo: It looks like shit.

Steve Breen Leaves The Union-Tribune

From The Daily Cartoonist.

Another Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist has lost his position with his newspaper.

Steve Breen, cartoonist for The San Diego Union-Tribune, will no longer be a regular presence at the newspaper. 

The steady decline of opinion pages in newspapers

From CTV News.

Cartoon by Scott Stantis

Even during a year of sobering economic news for media companies, the layoffs of three Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonists on a single day hit like a gut punch.

The firings of the cartoonists employed by the McClatchy newspaper chain last week were a stark reminder of how an influential art form is dying, part of a general trend away from opinion content in the struggling print industry.

“The Endless Imagination of Bob Staake”

From the Cape Cod Museum of Art.

Internationally known for his iconic New Yorker covers, best selling children's picture books, award winning illustrations and eclectic art, Bob Staake has always worn a variety of creative hats.

The demotion of political cartoons at the Washington Post

Dan Froomkin at Press Watch.

Cartoon by Pia Guerra and Ian Booothby

The Washington Post’s opinion pages were never particularly good, so the fact that they have devolved into a sad, toxic wasteland mostly inhabited by lazy neocons and right-wing reprobates is a shame, but not tragic.

What the Post opinion pages always excelled at, however, was political cartooning.

The McClatchy chain fires three editorial cartoonists

Mike Peterson in The Daily Cartoonist.

(Jack Ohman — Pulitzer Prize, 2016)

(Joel Pett — Pulitzer Prize, 2000)

(Kevin Siers — Pulitzer Prize, 2014)

The McClatchy chain of newspapers, which has been struggling in bankruptcy for more than three years, has decided to cut costs by eliminating three of the USA’s leading editorial cartoonists. 

You can click on the above links to view their Pulitzer entries. 

When cartoons upset Indian nationalists

From Chappatte's website. 

At the end of April, one of my cartoons published in German magazine Der Spiegel caused quite a stir in India.

Tweets from ministers, a media craze, an embarrassed German ambassador; a simple cartoon suddenly became a geopolitical affair.

But this furore was just part of a bigger story – the Modi government's growing intolerance of the country's humorists and cartoonists.

"Draw for Change!" Exhibition

From Draw for Change. 

The Comics Art Museum in Brussels will host the Draw For Change! exhibition from July 4 to August 28 and from October 21 to November 5, 2023.

Curated by Melanie Andreu, it presents the work of Amany Al-ali (Syria) , Doaa El-Adl (Egypt), Rachita Taneja (India), Victoria Lomasko (Russia), Mar Maremoto (Mexico) and Ann Telnaes (USA). the six cartoonists who star in the 6 episodes Draw For Change! documentary series.

Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani transferred to a Tehran hospital

From Cartoonist for Peace.

According to the latest information provided by her lawyer and shared by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Cartoonists Rights, Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani was admitted to intensive care on June 21, 2023 after being assaulted in prison. 

She had gone on a hunger strike because her food had been poisoned.

Pedro X. Molina, 2023 Havel Prize Laureate

From the Human Rights Foundation.

Nicaraguan political cartoonist Pedro X. Molina is one of the recipients of the 2023 Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.

This year’s laureates will be recognized during a ceremony on Wednesday, June 14, at the 2023 Oslo Freedom Forum (OFF) in Oslo, Norway. 

The Havel Prize ceremony will also be broadcast live at oslofreedomforum.com.

Reuben Award finalists in Editorial Cartooning

From the National Cartoonists Society.

The short list for the NCS Reubens are out, and Clay Bennett, Matt Davies and Ruben Bolling are the nominees for the Editorial Cartooning division.