Political cartoonists on navigating a changing media landscape

Political cartoonists on navigating a changing media landscape
Jeffrey Brown:
PBS News Hour's CANVAS Art in Action, Apr 25, 2025 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/political-cartoonists-on-navigating-a-changing-media-landscape 

That darn Michael Ramirez

Pumping irony [ Michael Ramirez letters]

Katherine Murphy and Robert J. McManus

Washington Post March 8 2025: A15

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/07/opinions-two-pillars-readers-respond/

Was Michael Ramirez's Feb. 25 editorial cartoon, "The weight is over," commissioned by the Trump administration? The cartoon used a mean stereotype to depict the government as getting fat on taxpayers' money. No, federal employees work hard to grant Americans security.

This cartoon enrages me because two friends unjustly lost their jobs. It enrages me because my friend who works at the Environmental Protection Agency had to drive into the office on a vacation day to email her five points demanded by Elon Musk. It enrages me because my sister's job at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which she always loved, has turned morose because of the siege mentality among federal workers. It enrages me because Ramirez mirrored the big lie about government that got Donald Trump elected and that is killing our democracy. Musk is not a trainer exercising the government to be healthier. He is an executioner, slashing agencies and cutting jobs with blind swipes of his big red chainsaw.

Katherine Murphy, Falls Church

Michael Ramirez is a talented artist who has won two Pulitzer Prizes for cartooning, and I greatly enjoy his painstakingly rendered artwork. It's his ideas that often fall short.

Take his Feb. 25 cartoon for example. Aside from the offices established by the Constitution, our "Government" is simply the sum of the departments, agencies and programs established by Congress and signed off on by a president — not something inflicted on a free people by outside forces. Are there programs we no longer wish to support? Are too many resources devoted to a given activity? Are there waste and fraud? By all means, focus on those and make adjustments accordingly, by legislative or administrative action. That's why we have congressional oversight and departmental inspectors general.

I have had some experience in government, including four years as a political appointee in a GOP administration, and I am confident I know more about the bureaucracy than Ramirez does. Whenever I hear someone complain without specifics that the government is "too big," my answer is a rhetorical question: "How big should a box be?"

Robert J. McManus, Bethesda

 

at the time, I posted this comment on the Post website, and my opinion hasn't changed.

How tone-deaf has the Post editorial page become to run this cartoon? I'm not in favor of censored cartoonists, but the Post's home readership of federal workers and contractors is suffering immensely during this phony pretense at government reform. 

 

I got one 'clarifying' and 8 'thoughtful' ratings in the WaPo's ridiculous new 'comment' system.

 

Michael Ramirez finally addresses WaPo spineless non-endorsement in the WaPo

Guess which side he comes down on?

You're right! What a shock!

My initial blog post on this has now been updated 10x.  

MAGA Memes and Momala: Political Cartoonists Take on 2024 and More! Bruce Guthrie's event pics posted

My pictures from the "MAGA Memes and Momala: Political Cartoonists Take on 2024 and More!" event are finally posted!  The direct link is:

http://www.bguthriephotos.com/graphlib.nsf/keys/2024_10_21D1_MAGA_Memes

--

Bruce Guthrie
Photo obsessive
http://www.bguthriephotos.com

Political Cartoonists Discuss the 2024 Election and Global Affairs [aka MAGA, Memes and Momala: Political Cartoonists take on 2024]

October 21, 2024

https://www.c-span.org/video/?539361-1/political-cartoonists-discuss-2024-election-global-affairs

Political cartoonists discussed the 2024 election and global affairs at an event hosted by the Syracuse University Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship (IDJC) in Washington, D.C. Topics included surprises in the 2024 election, how satire is perceived as news, and cartooning during times of war. 

Margaret Talev (intro), Roslyn Mazur (mod.). 

Panelists:
Matt Wuerker, editorial cartoonist and illustrator, POLITICO
Ann Telnaes, editorial cartoonist, The Washington Post
Michael Ramirez, editorial cartoonist, Las Vegas Review- Journal
Pedro X. Molina, Counterpoint Media and Confidencial, Nicaragua

Videos:
Vladimir Kazanevsky (Ukraine) and Rachita Taneja (India) also will discuss their work and persistent threats to cartoonists around the world.

Program ID:

539361-1

Category:

Public Affairs Event

Format:

Forum

Location:

Washington, District of Columbia, United States

First Aired:

Oct 22, 2024 | 9:00pm EDT | C-SPAN 1

Airing Details

• Oct 22, 2024 | 9:00pm EDT | C-SPAN 1

MAGA, Memes and Momala: Political Cartoonists take on 2024 (updated)

Featuring

Matt Wuerker, editorial cartoonist and illustrator, POLITICO

Ann Telnaes, editorial cartoonist, The Washington Post

Michael Ramirez, editorial cartoonist, Las Vegas Review- Journal

interviewed by Roslyn Mazer

Join us as we celebrate freedom of speech and our right to satire with a freewheeling look at a wild campaign year, as seen by some of the nation's and world's best political cartoonists.

 

Cartoonists have long lived on the front lines in the fight for freedom of speech. The US Supreme Court used cartoons to codify our right to lampoon our political leaders in the seminal case, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. Decline of local newspapers, explosion of social media, political polarization and global trends toward populism, nationalism and authoritarianism shape today's challenges.

 

Ms. Mazur

Wuerker, Telnaes, Ramirez

Wuerker cartoon

Vladimir Kazanevsky (Ukraine) in a pre-recorded video

Photographer-around-town Bruce Guthrie and webcomics expert Xavier Xerses

 

 

Oct 21: MAGA, Memes and Momala political cartoon event

Please join us for a special and very timely event.

You may rsvp to democracy@syr.edu by October 14 with the subject line: RSVP Syracuse Cartoonists Event.

MAGA, Memes and Momala: Political Cartoonists take on 2024

Join us as we celebrate freedom of speech and our right to satire with a freewheeling look at a wild campaign year, as seen by some of the nation's and world's best political cartoonists.

Cartoonists have long lived on the front lines in the fight for freedom of speech. The US Supreme Court used cartoons to codify our right to lampoon our political leaders in the seminal case, Hustler Magazine v. Falwell. Decline of local newspapers, explosion of social media, political polarization and global trends toward populism, nationalism and authoritarianism shape today's challenges.

Time: Cocktails 6pm
DATE: Monday, Oct. 21, 2024
Program begins at 6:30pm
Dress: Business casual

Panelists:
Matt Wuerker, editorial cartoonist and illustrator, POLITICO
Ann Telnaes, editorial cartoonist, The Washington Post
Michael Ramirez, editorial cartoonist, Las Vegas Review- Journal
Pedro X. Molina, Counterpoint Media and Confidencial, Nicaragua
Award-winning cartoonists
Vladimir Kazanevsky (Ukraine) and Rachita Taneja (India) also will discuss their work and persistent threats to cartoonists around the world.

Where:
Syracuse University DC Campus
1333 New Hampshire Avenue NW (at Dupont Circle)
Washington, DC 20036

That darn Michael Ramirez

the May 7 editorial cartoon (Michael Ramirez/Las Vegas Review-Journal for The Washington Post)

Another reason to be up in arms

Bruce Krebs, Arlington

Washington Post May 25 2024.

online at https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/05/24/jackson-state-killings-kent-state-massacre/

Michael Ramirez's May 7 editorial cartoon, "A never-ending cycle," copied M.C. Escher's artwork "Drawing Hands" (with "apologies" to Escher as a credit). Escher emphatically rejected a letter from the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, requesting a drawing for an album cover. My opinion is he would not appreciate Ramirez's use of his work, either. But what was Ramirez's point?

I am unaware of President Biden making a dramatic increase in civil service employees. I guess Ramirez was satirizing aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. As most of that money buys weapons and ammunition made in the United States to send to foreign destinations, this circle provides profit for U.S. arms manufacturers and jobs for Americans, which I thought were conservative ideals. What's not to like, Mr. Ramirez?

Michael Ramirez's hometown paper's best of 2023

CARTOONS: The Best of Michael Ramirez, 2023

By Michael Ramirez     

Las Vegas Review-Journal December 29, 2023

https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/michael-ramirez/cartoons-the-best-of-michael-ramirez-2023-2973415/

Right-wing cartoonist Michael Ramirez joins WaPo on contract?

He's apparently joined Telnaes, de Adder, Pritchett and Rosen on contract? Is this being driven by owner Bezos who's eased out publisher Ryan by creating a job for him last week? Ramirez is definitely not in the tradition of Herblock and Toles, who were independent parts of the editorial team staff. And they have 5 cartoonists on contract, AFTER they terminated their syndicate, the WPWG, this year?

Anyway, read DD on the facts, not my speculation.

Michael Ramirez Has a Wash. Post Gig?

D. D. Degg

https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2023/06/20/michael-ramirez-has-a-wash-post-gig/

Ed Piskor, Michael Ramirez, and Gene Yang announced for National Book Festival in 2016

Update: Darrin Bell has also confirmed his attendance.

Sweet Sixteen: The 2016 National Book Festival Announced!

January 21, 2016 by Lola Pyne
http://blogs.loc.gov/national-book-festival/2016/01/sweet-sixteen-the-2016-national-book-festival-announced/

Many authors have already accepted the festival's invitations this year, and they include:

• Kwame Alexander, Newbery Medal winner
• Douglas Brinkley, prize-winning historian
• Christopher Buckley, author of such satirical works as "Thank You for Smoking"
• Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and author
• Philip Glass, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
• Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize winner
• Winston Groom, author of "Forrest Gump"
• Stephen King, best-selling, prize-winning author and literacy advocate
• James McBride, National Book Award winner
• Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
• Joyce Carol Oates, prize-winning author of more than 70 books
• Ed Piskor, alternative comics artist
• Michael Ramirez, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner
• Diane Rehm, NPR host and author
• Salman Rushdie, Man Booker Prize winner
• Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize winner
• Bob Woodward, Pulitzer prize winner and author of 17 No. 1 best-sellers
• Luis Alberto Urrea, prize-winning author of "The Devil's Highway"
• Gene Luen Yang, Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

The National Book Festival poster will be designed this year by Yuko Shimizu, an illustrator based in New York City and an instructor at the School of Visual Arts. Her work has appeared on The Gap T-shirts, Pepsi cans, Visa card billboards and Microsoft and Target ads, as well as on book covers for Penguin, Scholastic and DC Comics. She has published work in the pages of The New York Times, Time magazine, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and many other publications.

Oct 23: Cartoons and Cocktails

Sylvia Smith
President, National Press Club
and
Michael Ramirez
Winner, 2008 Pulitizer Prize for editorial cartooning
cordially invite you to

Cartoons & Cocktails
Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008
National Press Club Ballroom
6 p.m. – Silent auction
7 p.m. – Live auction

Wall Street? Obama? Palin? McCain? – and Two Wars?

With so much news this year, we have a bumper crop of editorial cartoons for the 21st Annual Cartoons & Cocktails, the nation’s top cartoon auction. Come bid on your favorites and meet many of the cartoonists who will be drawing live for our special Art-In-Action feature.

Auctioneers include Michael Phelps of The Washington Examiner (our media sponsor), Bob Edwards of XM Radio and NPR, Sari Horwitz of the Washington Post, Harry Jaffee of Washingtonian Magazine, Derek McGinty of WUSA-TV 9 and Mike McCurry of Public Strategies.

Cartoons & Cocktails is a major fundraiser for three great causes:

* Young D.C., the independent newspaper by and for teenagers from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, and its First Amendment programs.
* Cartoonists Rights Network International, which assists editorial cartoonists around the world who are persecuted because of their commentaries.
* The Eric Friedheim Library at the National Press Club, its awards and scholarship programs.

Tickets are $50 each and include drinks and hors d’oeurves
Can’t attend? Choose your cartoons (after Oct. 18) and bid at
www.cartoonsandcocktails.org.

Purchase your tickets through the National Press Club. Call 202-662-7501.
Charged tickets can be picked up Oct. 23 at the Cartoons & Cocktail will-call desk.