Journalistic cartoons: what they are, characteristics, and examples

The journalistic cartoon is one of the most powerful elements of current communication: a few images can express a lot, even starting from very abstract ideas. This mix between current affairs, emotional charge and (usually) humor and sarcasm make these pieces very attractive in the eyes of the audience. readers, and that makes many newspapers, magazines and web pages bet to include in their publications several graphic works of this kind.

Throughout this article we will see what journalistic cartoons are, what are the characteristics that define them, and we will also review several examples of these.

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What is a journalistic cartoon?

A journalistic cartoon is understood to be a piece of journalism in which, Through drawings or other forms of graphic representation, an idea is expressed by posing fictitious situations that exaggerate some aspect of the present from a critical point of view and, in most cases, ironic and full of humor.

These pieces can be presented as a single image that contains a story in itself, or using a "comic strip" format, several vignettes in which a narrative development is created. On the other hand, the characters that appear in journalistic cartoons do not have to be representations of people who exist in real life, but there are always references to phenomena that happen today, and that in fact constitute the main theme of these pieces.

If famous people are drawn in these vignettes, they are usually captured by emphasizing their distinctive features to make them recognizable, but it should be noted that they are not it is called "journalistic caricature" because it contains graphic representations of caricatured physical features, but because of the use of exaggeration and humor in the topics treaties.

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Where is it published?

The journalistic cartoon It is usually published on a daily or weekly basis in newspapers, in a single panel format or as a short series of panels that occupy a strip of modules on the page, often on the skirt (so as not to downplay the titles of adjacent articles. However, they are also common in monthly magazines and on websites.

Unlike other forms of graphic expression in vignettes, such as Japanese manga or Western graphic novel, to caricature journalism is not usually attributed its own entity, so it is almost always considered a complement of textual pieces in those that explain the news about topics of general interest or on topics in which the publication specializes in question. Sometimes it is possible to acquire pieces of journalistic cartoons bound in book format, but in These cases are usually compilations of pieces made and published over the years previous.

Characteristics

These are the main characteristics of journalistic cartoons, although it must be borne in mind that As pieces of artistic expression that they are, they do not always conform to definitions nor to excessively planned formats in advance.

1. Periodicity

Journalistic cartoons tend to be series of pieces in which current events are monitored, so in practice they tend to have a continuity. The newspapers, magazines, fanzines and other publications that use them regularly collaborate with the authors of these works to create a loyal following.

2. Present

As has been commented, journalistic cartoons address issues that are currently being discussed and that are part of the current for the majority of people in a region or for the niche of readers to which the publication is directed for which it is works. These topics are usually related to politics, society, and other areas of interest. that provoke debate and positions in favor and against certain ideas.

3. Exaggerate characteristics of people and entities

The use of stereotypes is another of the constants of the journalistic cartoon, which tries to offer an extreme version to the absurdity of those physical and behavioral characteristics of people, organizations, etc. This has led to controversy over whether it is appropriate to take advantage of these stereotypes to represent discriminated minorities.

4. It is indicated who the author is

The journalistic cartoon always has an indication as to who has created that work; the author can use her real name or her pseudonym.

5. It is used in the context of opinion content

Neither the authors of the journalistic cartoons nor the editors of the publications in which they are included intend to pass these pieces off as purely informative and descriptive elements of what happens present. It is evident that there is opinion and ideological position in them, and that it is normal not to agree with the message of what is expressed. For this reason, in newspapers, journalistic cartoon vignettes are usually in the opinion column section.

6. The position in which it is published is fixed

In periodicals such as magazines, websites, and newspapers, the position in which the newspaper cartoon appears is almost always the same. This is so due to the very operation of these publications, which start from a distribution of the contents (layout) already planned in advance, and thanks to which readers already know where to go to find what suits them the most. interested.

Functions of this form of journalism

Among the main functions of the journalistic cartoon we find the following:

• Liven up the reading with humor.
• Create a graphic element that "airs" the page avoiding that it only has text.
• Encourage discussion about a certain topic.
• Criticize positions of public entities and figures.
• Mark editorial line showing a point of view that represents the publication.
• Propose topics for reflection showing a clash of ideas.

Examples

These are some examples of newspaper cartoons that help to understand what they consist of.

Eneko Piece

The cartoonist and illustrator Eneko las Heras thus represents the so-called "media cavern", a term derogatory with which Spain is known to a set of communication media associated with the ideology of right.

Piece of El Roto

In this piece by El Roto, nationalism is criticized, pointing out a tendency to make personal interests pass through the essence of a group with a history that legitimizes it.

Bibliographic references:

• Cohn, N. (2013). The Visual Language of Comics: Introduction to the Structure and Cognition of Sequential Images. London: Bloomsbury.
• Mackay, B. (2008). Behind the rise of investigative cartooning. THIS Magazine.
• Robinson, S. (2011). Journalism as Process: The Organizational Implications of Participatory Online News ". Journalism & Communication Monographs. 13 (3): 137.