Editorial cartoons and the long journey of political commentary

THE SLIDE of print as a source of news continues. And the decision to cut out cartoons from more Op-Ed pages is poignant.

For the audience of this special form of journalism, cartoons provoke more political response than they themselves are aware of, these visualize and express more sharply than words, their feelings as well as their judgments, stating a case against or for a policy or a program. 

Political cartoons present symbols for the public pulse, visualizing what people feel, evoking laughter mostly, and making it possible to feel the satisfaction of making fun of someone’s stupidity, foolishness or worse. The daily cartoon provides a moment of levity amid the depression over politics and public affairs. Delivering the comment with sharp humor has proven more effective at times in making a point, making it more memorable. 

Some readers will check out the cartoon and leave the editorial unread. With the ability to distill news and opinion into a caricature, editorial cartoons present accessible and quick insightful analysis of current affairs. 

As such, the form has become an integral part of journalism. 

An end of an era?

Last August 30, on National Press Freedom Day, Cartoonist Zach announced in his Facebook page the “heartbreaking news” that another national newspaper, The Philippine Star, will no longer be publishing editorial cartoons. He recalled that last March, the Philippine Daily Inquirer ceased publishing the same. The Foundation for Media Alternatives released an editorial cartoon in their Facebook page by Tarantadong Kalbo, another cartoonist enjoying a wide following. A pen and an ink bottle, both drawn as animated objects, were walking out of the pages of the top two dailies.

Reviewing the two newspapers’ recent issues, CMFR found that the Star last published an editorial  cartoon on August 9, while Inquirer’s last cartoon was on February 28, 2022. Both publications were repeatedly included in CMFR’s “Editorial Cartoons of the Week” page due to their cartoons’ sharp and effective messaging.

As of this writing, only Inquirer’s mascot Guyito continues to sassily comment on national issues in the paper’s front pages. In both Star and Inquirer, cartoons and comics have been relegated to the entertainment pages where most of the comic strips are syndicated. While these remain staples of the two papers, comics do not compensate for the power of a one-panel cartoon commentary prominently placed in the opinion section.

The international group Cartooning for Peace in their 2015 visit to the Philippines stressed in one of their talks: “Cartoons transcend language barriers and could be an instrument for peace (among others); we can’t get a story without images; and editorial cartoons bring social issues closer to the readers.”

In contrast with conventional forms of communication, the visuals can cast a powerful interpretation of the day’s news. They explain and explore stories in manners that written articles cannot. They capture the essence of human character displayed by politicians and public officials, sometimes humanizing their failings, but more often than not, showing their monstrous follies and punishing them for their most grievous faults. 

Cartoons can create a historical record of a particular period or a political season. In the evolving landscape of journalism, political cartoons have remained a timeless tool to make fun, to hold up for public ridicule, compelling in an instant a quick response to the message. Historians themselves have gone to cartoons to check the pulse of the period they are studying, as in American historian Alfred McCoy’s publication of cartoons to represent the mood of the campaigns for statehood or independence for the Philippines. 

During Martial Law, the Philippines Free Press (PFP) published several cartoons criticizing the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. In 2017, Esquire Magazine looked back at PFP cartoons that portrayed what had happened during those dark times, noting that “editorial cartoons were a great visual method for expressing a political opinion.”

John Lent in a 1998 journal article noted that editorial cartoons in the Philippines dated at least to the end of the nineteenth century. “National hero Jose Rizal, credited with drawing the first cartoon, “The Monkey and the Tortoise”, used caricature in his propaganda against the Spaniards,” the article read. Lent also mentioned prominent publications during the early American occupation such as Lipang Kalabaw, Philippine Free Press, Telembang, and The Independent. Lent noted how editorial cartooning thrived in the Philippines until the 1970s, but was severely subdued during the Marcos dictatorship. 

Lent in the same article cited the work of the late Nonoy Marcelo. Lent described Marcelo as the ‘Philippines’ foremost cartoonist.’ “His imagination knew no bounds, and would more often than not think up an angle totally unexpected,” Luis Teodoro, PJRR consulting editor and CMFR trustee, recalled. Teodoro also said that “it was Nonoy Marcelo who dared name Ferdinand Marcos “Macoy,” for example-and in a government-approved publication too, where he did a strip called “The Real Macoy” and managed to get away with it.” 

In a similar context, a 2021 study by Brian Bantugan reviewed editorial cartoons shared on social media platform Facebook that showed then President Rodrigo Duterte’s weak handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study pointed out that the editorial cartoons that had the most reactions from readers “were mostly responding to dysfunctional public officials who did not share the plight of the economically poor and socially marginalized.” 

The rise of social media cartoonists

As history repeats itself and Filipinos face greater political turmoil, cartoonists are now using their pens (and tablets) to draw current social realities. Putting color to the traditional black and white cartoons, artists like Cartoonist Zach, Tarantadong Kalbo, Kapitan Tambay, and Isang Tasang Kape are creating waves of solidarity among artists and its readers. 

This August, Pitik Bulag, a collective of artists, along with #FactsFirstPH, Akademiya at Bayan Kontra Disimpormasyon at Dayaan (ABKD) Network, Tanggol Kasaysayan, Project Gunita, and Human Rights Violations Victims’ Memorial Commission (HRVVMC) launched “#SaysayNgKasaysayan,” a campaign to protect history and fight disinformation on social media. Pitik Bulag as part of #FactsFirstPH has also published at least 100 editorial cartoons since April 2022.

Last year, Tarantadong Kalbo’s fist cartoon ‘#Tumindig’ (Stand) went viral and became a symbol of solidarity and dissent against the Duterte administration. The artwork depicted “fist people” bowing down in submission, mimicking the signature fist-bump pose of former President Duterte. In the middle of the frame, however, valiantly stands a lone fist, reminiscent of a raised fist. Several artists, youth organizations, and some media outfits joined in and added their own characters.

While the rise of artists in social media is a welcome development, CMFR hopes that print media will evolve its treatment of news to survive still as a major source of journalism, with more at length, more in-depth treatment of current events, charting policies and their failed or successful implementation. Such a news service would go a long way in creating the kind of citizenry required by democracy. 

At the same time, we look to the editorial cartoon as a should-be continuing practice in journalism. Long may it live!