Today's Political Cartoons - National & International

Paul Fell's long-term relationship with the Lincoln Journal-Star came to an abrupt end last week in a dispute over a political donation.

Fell, who has been providing three cartoons a week to the newspaper as a freelancer since 1992, was let go after his name showed up on a list of journalists who gave to political campaigns, as compiled by MSNBC.

The newsroom ethics code at the Journal-Star forbids political contributions by staffers who are involved in political coverage. A staff reporter at the paper who also made a political donation was allowed to keep her job after admitting she violated the ethics code and apologized. Fell, however, was let go.

As columnist Kathleen Rutledge noted in a June 23 column: "Fell's case differs from [reporter Sylvia] Hermanson's. We pay him to express his own opinion on matters of public interest through cartoons that appear on the editorial pages. He is not an employee but a freelancer who is ...
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Political cartoonists from across North America will descend on Washington, D.C., the first week of July to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC). From July 4-7, 2007, over 100 cartoonists from the AAEC will meet at The Mayflower Hotel for their annual Convention, as they look back over 50 years of biting commentary, insightful caricature and ink-smudged criticism — and look ahead to the shifting digital canvas of the 21st Century.

The confab will kick off early on Tuesday, July 3, with an event that is open to the public. "Cartoonapalooza: Fireworks in Pen and Ink!" is a rare opportunity to meet prize-winning political cartoonists in person as they discuss their most controversial cartoons. Featured cartoonists will include Tom Toles (The Washington Post), Mike Luckovich (Atlanta Journal Constitution), Mike Peters, ("Mother Goose & Grimm"), Jack Ohman (The Oregonian), ...
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In June, Denver Post editorial cartoonist Mike Keefe received the Freedom of the Press award from the Anti-Defamation League's Mountain States Office. The honor was for his cartoons about bigotry, separation of church and state, and other topics, reported E&P Online. Keefe, who has been with the Post since 1975, is syndicated by Cagle Cartoons.

Also in June, Cartoonist and writer Justin DeFreitas swept two categories at the Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards. DeFreitas, who works for Berkley's The Daily Planet, swept the editorial cartooning category, taking first and second place, and an honorable mention. The category in this case spaned all divisions -- daily and non-daily newspapers, magazines and trade publications. DeFreitas took took three prizes for entertainment reviewing, including a first, second and honorable mention for his movie reviews. The contest covers the publication in the 11 counties of the greater Bay Area. On the Net: [View Full Article]

R.C. Harvey is doing a blog for GoComics.com that features excerpts from his biweekly "Rants & Raves" newsletter at RCHarvey.com, reported E&P in June. "Rants & Raves" includes Harvey's commentary on comics, editorial cartoons, and other topics. GoComics.com is the Web site affiliated with Universal Press Syndicate. Harvey is also an author and comics historian. He has worked as a freelance cartoonist, too.