Another ‘save the editorial cartoonist’ story – this time in the Buffalo News.
“Television and radio can’t do this,” said Bennett, who has won numerous awards for his work over the past two decades and is a five-time nominated finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.
“There’s something very personal and special about an editorial cartoon in a newspaper,” Bennett said. “It’s visual and it’s different. It’s about an artist putting his hand to paper; in a way it’s like a hand-written letter expressing an opinion to the reader.”
Like muckraking and yellow journalism in the past, the market drives the jobs, and when those types of journalism were no longer seen as profitable, they died out.
Editorial cartooning is a special art. Not only are you a editorial journalist keeping up with currnet events, you are also a skilled craftsman.
It is sad to see the lack of employment in the field, perhaps there should be a website for all editorial cartooinist to submit work, for sale or just for fans to enjoy.
We need to keep this art alive. Students today probably do not know anything about the muckrakers of the past. I hope this doesnot happen to editorial cartooning.