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December 8, 2004
Lamb Book Examines Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons
Columbia University Press has just published the book, Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons in the United States.
Written by Chris Lamb, a Media Studies professor at the College of Charleston, the book examines both the history and the contributions of editorial cartoons in American society and laments the current state of the art. As the newspaper industry has declined in both readership and influence, so, too, have the responsibilities of publishers and editors, who opt for publishing syndicated cartoons over hiring their own staff cartoonist. Lamb writes that if publishers and editors quit acting like corporate accountants and begin acting like guardians of the public trust, they may find that their editorial pages give readers something to look forward to in the morning. He says they can achieve this, in part, by hiring editorial cartoonists and by giving them the freedom to draw their own conclusions with as little as possible interference.
Roger Fischer, author of Them Damned Pictures, says of Drawn to Extremes:
"Judiciously balancing the mission of American editorial cartoonists with the restraints imposed by their editors and publishers, shrinking opportunities in print journalism, and public censorship in times of crisis, Professor Lamb has produced a volume rich in its insights and perspectives."
For questions/comments, Chris Lamb can be reached by e-mail at lambc@cofc.edu.