Editors, Not Terrorists, Killed American Political Cartooning

Ted Rall writes that Editors, Not Terrorists, Killed American Political Cartooning.

There is still powerful political cartooning online. Ironically, the Internet contributes to the death of satire in America by sating the demand for hard-hitting political art. Before the Web, if a paper canceled my cartoons they would receive angry letters from my fans. Now my readers find me online — but the Internet pays pennies on the print dollar. I’m stubbornly hanging on, but many talented cartoonists, especially the young, won’t work for free.

It’s not that media organizations are broke. Far from it. Many are profitable. American newspapers and magazines employ tens of thousands of writers — they just don’t want anyone writing or drawing anything that questions the status quo, especially not in a form as powerful as political cartooning.

The next time you hear editors pretending to stand up for freedom of expression, ask them if they employ a cartoonist.

Emphasis Mine

For political cartoonists, like Ted Rall, to survive, he needs the support of people like us. The Capitalist elite has no need of such people because they fearlessly question and expose the status quo. But we need such people in order to show the lies that underlie the reality of everyday Capitalism.

Please Support Ted Rall.