Editorial cartoonist
205531
213627696
2008-05-20T03:36:37Z
66.74.62.141
added links to important people
An '''editorial cartoonist''', also known as a '''political cartoonist''', is an artist who draws [[cartoon]]s that contain some level of political or social commentary. The most common outlet for political cartoonists is the [[editorial page]] of the newspaper not the dedicated comic section, although certain cartoons have achieved crossover status. Most editorial cartoons lack the type of explicitly partisan political opinion found on the rest of the editorial page, instead opting for humor that reflects the conventional wisdom of readers. Nevertheless, the presence of explicitly partisan, critical and satirical humor is growing in editorial cartoons as partisan opinion and argument continue to play a larger role in News Media as a whole. In recent years the internet has become an excellent means for distributing short format media, humor, and minority political opinions, leading to a large growth in the popularity of online alternative editorial cartoons.
There is a [[Pulitzer Prize]] awarded every year for America's top editorial cartoonist — as decided by a panel of senior media industry professionals and media academics (see [[Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning]]). Other major awards given each year to editorial cartoonists include the [[Sigma Delta Chi Award]] from the [[Society of Professional Journalists]], the [[Thomas Nast]] Award from the [[Overseas Press Club]], and the [[Herblock]] Prize.
==Organizations==
The largest organization of political cartoonists is the [[Association of American Editorial Cartoonists]] (AAEC) which has over 300 members. The [[National Cartoonists Society]] in the United States also welcomes editorial cartoonists.
==Books==
There are several North American books that have collected together the majority of cartoonists being published at the time. ''Attack of the Political Cartoonists'', written by [[J. P. Trostle]], was published in 2004 and includes profiles of 150 mainstream American and Canadian cartoonists. ''Attack'' was an effort to update the 1962 tome ''Today's Cartoon'', by ''New Orleans States-Item'' cartoonist John Chase, which included most of the editorial cartoonists working in the U.S. at the height of the Cold War. And the 3-volume ''Attitude'' series includes some of the political cartoonists who have appeared in alternative newspapers and online — see [[Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists]].
There are also a number of North American annual collections published each year, including ''Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year'' from Pelican Publishing, ''Best Political Cartoons of the Year'' from [[Daryl Cagle]], and [[Portfoolio]], which showcases the best Canadian cartoons of the year.
==See also==
*[[List of editorial cartoonists]]
*[[Animated political cartoons]]
*[[Center for the Study of Political Graphics]]
*[[Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy]]
*[[30mins|30mins: A Visual Interpretation of Life in the 21st Century]]
*[[Graphics]]
[[Category:Editorial cartoonists| ]]