Drawn to Extremes : The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons in the United States

Chris Lamb

ISBN 10: 0231130678 / ISBN 13: 9780231130677

Published by Columbia University Press Mai 2006, 2006

About this Item

Neuware - Four days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Pulitzer Prize--winning cartoonist Joel Pett of the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader chided President George W. Bush for having declared that America would 'punish any state that harbored or trained terrorists.' In one of his cartoons, Pett asked if this included the state of Florida, where the terrorists had lived and taken flying lessons. When Pett followed with other criticisms of Bush, readers canceled subscriptions, demanded that Pett be fired, and left profane messages on his voice mail. 'One elderly woman spat into the phone that I 'should have been in the World Trade Center,'Pett said. 'Such is the power of the cartoon when it is unleashed.'.

Seller Inventory # 9780231130677

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Drawn to Extremes : The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons in the United States
• Publisher: Columbia University Press Mai 2006
• Publication Date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0231130678
• ISBN 13: 9780231130677
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu
• Weight: 386 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In 2006, a cartoon in a Danish newspaper depicted the Prophet Mohammed wearing a bomb in his turban. The cartoon created an international incident, with offended Muslims attacking Danish embassies and threatening the life of the cartoonist. Editorial cartoons have been called the most extreme form of criticism society will allow, but not all cartoons are tolerated. Unrestricted by journalistic standards of objectivity, editorial cartoonists wield ire and irony to reveal the naked truths about presidents, celebrities, business leaders, and other public figures. Indeed, since the founding of the republic, cartoonists have made important contributions to and offered critical commentary on our society. Today, however, many syndicated cartoons are relatively generic and gag-related, reflecting a weakening of the newspaper industry's traditional watchdog function. Chris Lamb offers a richly illustrated and engaging history of a still vibrant medium that "forces us to take a look at ourselves for what we are and not what we want to be." The 150 drawings in Drawn to Extremes have left readers howling-sometimes in laughter, but often in protest.

About the Author

Chris Lamb is an associate professor of communication at the College of Charleston. His articles on editorial cartooning have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Houston Chronicle, Baltimore Sun, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and trade journal Editor & Publisher.