Editorial cartoons in newspapers used to be a dominant influence in shaping how people view political issues. However, cost cuts are jeopardizing cartoonists' establishment, and many are forced to find new ways to convey their message. Many have found a solution in the Internet.

To appeal to larger audiences, editorial cartoons in newspapers are now contradicting their purpose by trying to avoid controversy. "Before, the rule was to editorialize and provoke. Now it's to address and entertain. Don't take a position, don't editorialize, don't create any grief," says Milt Priggee, whose work has appeared in Newsweek, the Washington Post and the New York Times.

"The operative word in editorial cartoons is editorial." But "what you see printed in national editions is definitely watered down and safe," said Nick Anderson, staff cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle and 2005 winner of the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.

Cartoonist Mark Fiore is more optimistic: "There's so much potential out there.  The art is shifting, but if you really love it, you're going to make it work."

Fiore and many other cartoonists have moved to the web to display their work. Now, instead of only being viewed by people in newspaper circulation areas, editorial cartoons can be viewed by people from all over the world.

The nature of the editorial cartoon has changed on the Web as well. While the print form is constraining, the Internet allows cartoonists to explain more by using multi-panel images, color, and even animation with sound. Cartoonists have also moved away from symbolism such as the donkey and elephant to represent political parties and have become more creative. For instance, Fiore has created a full-time political cartoon animation.

"The days of doing one black and white cartoon a day are numbered," says Anderson. "You have to kind of think outside the box and try to do things differently than you have in the past."

Source: Medill Reports, Washington Northwestern University