(Not) Live From the AAEC Convention in SF, and Mississippi Today from Yesterday or so
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Listen to Jack Ohman, Ted Rall, Scott Stantis, and Marshall Ramsey talk about editorial cartooning today.
With a Clay Jones special guest cartoon.
Ted Rall and Scott Stantis host Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) president Jack Ohman on Ted and Scott’s DMZ America podcast. The meeting of editorial cartooning minds took place on October 6, 2023 with Ted and Jack coming from the 2023 AAEC Convention and Scott coming from home in Mississippi.
Jack Ohman, editorial cartoonist and columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, joins fellow Editorial Cartoonists Ted Rall (from the political Left) and Scott Stantis (from the political Right) this week.
First off, the cartoonist trio unpacks the meaning and repercussions of the recent vacating of the Speaker of the House seat in Congress. Who should and who will be the next Speaker? Will/can Donald Trump take the seat?
Next, there is deep disagreement over whether or not the West, and more specifically the United States, ought to continue sending arms and taxpayers money to Ukraine.
Lastly, Ted, Jack and Scott discuss the state of American editorial cartooning. Guest Jack Ohman is the current President of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists, while Ted Rall and Scott Stantis have served in that role. A combined 120 years of editorial cartooning experience leads to the conclusion that the profession is in crisis with no relief in sight. Yet we remain optimistic.
The podcast from a few days ago is available for listening on Apple or Spotify or Buzzsprout.
The rather depressing discussion on the current state of newspapers starts around 50 minutes in. Editorial cartooning is the topic but also noted is that they aren’t alone – copy editors, the photo department, and more are being cut from the dwindling number of newspapers (news deserts are also mourned).
And then…
Mississippi Stories with Marshall Ramsey hosts Scott Stantis for another discussion about editorial cartooning.
In this edition of Mississippi Stories, Mississippi Today Editor-at-Large Marshall Ramsey sits down fellow editorial cartoonist, Scott Stantis. Stantis, the editorial cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune, lives in Birmingham, Ala. and was once the cartoonist for the (Memphis) Commercial Appeal and the Birmingham News.
He and Ramsey talk about what makes cartooning in the South so special, their careers, and what it is like to obtain a dream only to experience the demise of the editorial cartooning profession.
The half hour talk by two friends can be viewed at Mississippi Today.
You may get the feeling from the above two interviews that Scott really doesn’t like newspaper editors.
The nasty take-away is that there are contract editorial cartoonists and syndicated editorial cartoonists but the number of staff editorial cartoonists, those with a newspaper salary and benefits, is down to between 8 and 12!
featured image is by Clay Jones
My friend, current convention host, president of the @AAEC_Cartoonist, one of the victims of these layoffs, and king of the rebounds, Jack Ohman asked for a signed print of this cartoon.
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