Another cartoonist loses his job. This does not bode well for the future of newspaper cartooning. (Washington Post article)
This week the 1993 Pulitzer Prize winner was laid off as part of a staff reductions. Steve Benson, winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning, was laid off Wednesday by parent company Gannett Co., Inc. - A sad day. One readers comment: "Editorial cartoonists are increasingly rare in American newsrooms; those with the punch and talent of a Benson are still rarer."
It is often a matter of supply and demand. If his work were driving eyes to the Gannett papers he would not have lost his job. Many cartoonists are free lancers.
ReplyDeleteThe quality of the Gannett papers has declined very rapidly over the years. We were subscribers to our Gannett paper from the mid 1980s until the early 2000. Their writing declined to almost non-readable levels and their use of purported news to editorialize their views took over any pretense of objectivity. I have been a newspaper reader for over 50 years and it has gotten to the point where they are becoming all but non-readable. So many have poisoned their own well with their one sided politics. They no longer provide the news. In so many papers even the sports columns show their political leanings.
After reading the company profile, I can foresee more cartoonist that make waves against the GOP and the 1%ers being forced out of the limelight.
ReplyDeleteYour selection of this weeks cartoons was great; no punches pulled. ALL were spot on. Velma
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