[ABCDE] INSIDE JOURNALISM Volume 1, Issue 6 Mightier than the Sword The Editorial Cartoon Can Appear Humorous, But When It Comes to Social Commentary, Many Have a Sharp Point Herblock’s pen. Read about him on Page 8. Meet the Editorial How To Draw an You and Your Rights: Cartoonist Editorial Cartoon Editorial Cartoons and 5 9 16 Freedom of speech FILE PHOTO BY JULIA EWAN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST February 25, 2003 © 2003 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY Volume 1, Issue 6 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program INSIDE JOURNALISM: The Editorial Cartoon Cartoon Collections KidsPost Article: “The Power of the Pencil” On the Web ➤ The INSIDE Journalism curriculum guide provides information and http://www.washingtonpost.com/ resources that can be used on many grade levels and in many subject areas. wp-dyn/style/comics/ Here are a few suggestions for using the material in this guide. The Washington Post Comics In addition to links to the comics found in The Post, links are provided Read cartoons. You may ask students to to editorial cartoonists whose works They are called “editorial” cartoons select one of the cartoons to write appear in The Post. because they express an opinion a letter to the cartoonist to tell why about people or events in the news. they agree or disagree with the point ➤ http://www.boondocksnet.com/ Give students the KidsPost article of view. gallery/pc_intro.html “The Power of the Pencil: Editorial Collect editorial cartoons from Political Cartoons and Cartoonists Cartoons Often Make a Sharp around the world and make A history of political cartooning Point.” overhead transparencies of them beginning in the 19th century. Click While cartoons may have a with the captions. Next create on “Cartoon” to access excellent humorous element, they are most student handouts or a second set examples. often serious commentary in visual of transparencies without captions. ➤ http://www.nisk.k12.ny.us/fdr/ form. America has a tradition of Have students write captions for FDR Cartoon Archive independent-minded cartoonists. the cartoons. As each cartoon is Political cartoons from the presidency Benjamin Franklin in 1754 used displayed overhead, ask students to of Franklin D. Roosevelt a snake cartoon with the caption share their captions. The final step “Join or Die” to encourage colonial would be to compare the students’ ➤ http://cagle.slate.msn.com/ unity. In a 2001 washingtonpost.com ideas to the cartoonists’ by showing Daryl Cagle’s Professional Cartoonists online interview, editorial cartoonist the originals. Index Tony Auth shared a favorite Make a list of concerns that Cagle gathers cartoons from today’s story about the role of editorial students and teachers have about best, many grouped by topic. Use cartoonists. “[V]ery early in the your school. Select three of the them to stimulate discussion of history of our country, when concerns to write topic sentences in today’s issues and to study the artist’s we were still colonies, the royal which a point of view is expressed. techniques and symbols. governor of Pennsylvania got very Brainstorm ways to depict the ➤ http://cagle.slate.msn.com/ upset with a cartoonist and passed concepts in the form of editorial politicalcartoons/ a law that you could no longer draw cartoons. Homework: Draw an Political Cartoons the governor or any other official as editorial cartoon that communicates Daily updates of top editorial an animal. And so all the cartoonists your point of view about something cartoons. immediately started drawing the happening or not happening at your ➤ http://www.wittyworld.com/ governor as vegetables.” school. Share cartoons with the rest editorialpolitical.html of the class and try to figure out each Witty World Think About Editorial Cartoons other’s issues and positions. International cartoons Collect 15-20 editorial cartoons on ➤ different topics. (Some may be the Learn About Editorial Cartoons in The http://www.reuben.org/ National Cartoonists Society same topic with different points of Post The professional organization of view.) This can be done in pairs or “Washington Post timeline, 1944- cartoonists. Look for winners of the groups. Do students recognize the 50” and “A Changing Community, A Reuben, its highest honor. Also a topic? Understand the point of view Changing Role” introduce students compilation of links to NCS members expressed? Ask students to write to a history of editorial cartooning on the Web. a one-sentence main idea for the in The Washington Post. Compare 2 February 25, 2003 © 2003 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY Volume 1, Issue 6 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program early Post editorial cartoons to those “Herblock, Longtime Post found in today’s newspaper. Cartoonist, Dies,” a tribute to In the Know Herblock that provides an excellent Balloon: A rounded or irregularly shaped Meet the Editorial Cartoonist overview of his life, found at http: outline containing the words that a Tom Toles, recipient of the //www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/ 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial metro/specials/herblock/. character in a cartoon is represented to Cartooning, became The Post’s be saying Analyze an Editorial Cartoon editorial cartoonist in 2002. Give Caricature: An exaggeration of students “Meet the Editorial Give students “Herblock’s Point of Cartoonist.” View.” Ask students to discuss the characteristics or physical features idea he presents in the cartoon he Cartoon: A drawing depicting a Meet Herblock drew when he was 20 years old. You humorous situation, for entertainment Give students “Who Was Herblock?” may need to explain the practice of for background on Herbert Block. clear-cutting forests. What do they or to make social commentary, often The Post’s ombudsman in “Drawing notice about the techniques he used accompanied by a caption as he drew the image? Discuss the the Line,” Feb. 2001, responded to Editorial cartoon: Subjective expression readers’ reactions to a recent Herblock last cartoon he drew for publication cartoon. In his conclusion, he stated, in The Post when he was 91 years of opinion through art. Considered to “Five years ago, on the anniversary of old. What is his point of view? What be obvious hyperbole or exaggerated Herblock’s 50th year with The Post, do they notice about his artistic symbols. (Also known as a political the chairman of the paper’s executive technique? cartoon.) committee, Katharine Graham, You are provided three of Herblock’s wrote: ‘Herb fought for and earned a editorial cartoons. Use them to Engrave: To carve, cut or etch into a unique position at the paper: one of discuss his use of details, allusion and surface used for printing complete independence of anybody metaphor. His artistic techniques may and anything. Journalistic enterprises also be subject of discussion. Halftone: A picture or image with tones run best when writers and editors of color on a printed page created by have a lot of autonomy. But Herb’s Cartoon 1: “Well, it’s about time” the relative darkness and density of case is extreme. And,’ she concluded, The Supreme Court and Justice tiny dots produced by photographing reappear in his cartoons. How are ‘because he’s a genius, it works.’” the subject through a fine screen. Graham in “Herblock’s Half Century: they symbols? Why is the contrast of A Tiger by the Tail” stated, “I too the two female figures of particular Syndicate: Represents the creators to have written my share of explanatory significance? Sandra Day O’Connor potential purchasers of cartoon rights. was nominated by President Reagan letters. One, in 1989, said that to Purchasers might be newspapers that cartoon is to caricature, and people as Associate Justice of the Supreme who are very gifted at cartooning Court and confirmed by the U.S. cannot afford a full-time cartoonist or sometimes offend. ‘Most of the time, Senate on Sept. 22, 1981. Note the those that want the views of different however, cartoons illuminate or use of simple lines and graphite. cartoonists in their papers. Purchasers amuse,’ the letter went on to say. I must be licensees who wish to use the doubt the irate reader was completely Cartoon 2: “Said Alice ... ‘It’s the cartoonist’s images on merchandise, satisfied, but the statement, I believe, stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all is true.” Herbert Block, 1909-2001, my life’” advertising or in books. was The Washington Post’s cartoonist This cartoon was drawn days after Syndicated: The work of writers and for 55 years. He was a gifted Patrick Buchanan switched from the cartoonists handled by organizations cartoonist who amused and offended Republican to the Reform Party. The readers and illuminated issues. day before Donald Trump had filed that sell the works to various news Teachers may wish to read papers to become the Reform Party’s media whether it is print or broadcast 3 February 25, 2003 © 2003 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY Volume 1, Issue 6 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program presidential candidate. Ross Perot introduce the cartoonists and their it to the court in Meyer v. Washington was the founder of the Reform Party. works to their classmates. To give Times Co. On March 11, 1935, the Herblock alludes not only to Alice’s students a starting point, the year in United States Court of Appeals Adventures in Wonderland, but also which cartoonists received a Pulitizer decided in favor of The Washington to an illustration for the book by Sir Prize is given. From 1995, each Post. The cartoons in question were John Tenniel. Herblock used ink, Pulitzer Prize winner’s entry on the The Gumps, Gasoline Alley, Winnie crayon, porous point pen, opaque Web provides examples of work.