We can now tell you the public sentiment, the words associated with a topic and even what the Finance Editor had for breakfast. However, to truly get a sense into the soul of a paper and its position on certain topics, you needn’t look further than the cartoons section. An often-overlooked segment, one could argue that it holds the most distilled insights about a publication and even its readers.
Of course, binning analytics is a purposefully factious statement. However, there is something to be said for starting your research with the cartoon section. In this article, I want to take it back to the very beginning to understand cartoon’s origins, then explore how they are currently used and how that usage differs globally.
Brief History
You could point back to the paintings adorning the walls of our ancestral caves. Fast forward to the 18th century, political cartoons were birthed. British caricaturist, James Gillray, labelled by many as the “father of the political cartoon” is credited with being the first to produce what we would recognize today. His cartoons used humor and insight to tackle social issues, depicting politicians, royalty, and society figures, often stirring controversy. As you can see from the image below, the current cartoonists of the 21st century have drawn clear influence from Gillray’s style.
James Fillray The Scourge of Napoleon
Jumping forward to the 19th century, Thomas Nast was the most infamous cartoonist, who wielded immense political power through his drawings. A notable example of this is his fight against the Tweed Ringleader William Magear “Boss” Tweed, the Tammany Hall head and commissioner of public works for New York City, who had control over New York in 1870. Nast’s cartoons eventually led to the downfall of the ring, and eventually they were even used to identify the fleeing Tweed when in Spain. He continued throughout his career to be the bane of those he opposed, using his drawings to muster support against slavery amongst other things.
The Brains Boss Tweed depicted by Thomas Nast in a wood engraving published in Harper’s Weekly, October 21, 1871
One could argue that political cartoons of the present have evolved very little since James Gillray’s era, yet they continue to have considerable influence as powerful political instruments globally. In today’s digital age, cartoons have the potential to do more political damage than ever before, being shared from person to person and nation to nation. Despite changes in technology and societal norms, political cartoons remain as a potent weapon and a perfect window into the soul of a paper.
Spotting the sometimes obvious
Cartoons play a crucial role in representing both the newspaper’s editorial stance and the opinions of its readers. These visual commentaries serve as powerful tools to articulate complex issues, societal trends, and political viewpoints in a concise and accessible manner. A newspaper can effectively communicate its stance on various topics to its audience through the lens of its cartoons. Take for example the difference in depiction of Corbyn from left leaning Mirror and the right leaning Times. Even taken in isolation the features of the individual, the backdrop of the image and the action within the cartoon all contribute to a drawing which immediately conveys a feeling about the current news.
Nelson’s column, Mirror
Cartoons serve as a barometer of public sentiment. In this dynamic exchange, they not only shape the newspaper’s identity but also foster a sense of connection and dialogue between the publication and its readership.
Peter Brookes, The Times
At a national level
Whilst the cartoons can give a view into the soul of newspapers individually, when looking at the cartoons of a nation, more macro inferences can also be made. Having relocated from our London to Singapore office, I am now exposed to non-western cartoons daily. In the UK and US, we are obsessed with internal strife, Conservative Vs Labour or Democrat Vs Republican. When combined with our press freedoms, the cartoons often push the boundary of what is accepted, going a step further than their counterparts with the pen.
Washington Post, Cartoon Section
Global Times, Cartoon Section
However, in Southeast Asia press freedoms are lower and this reflects in the cartoons – take Singapore where cartoons are reflective of neutral news coverage looking more at consumer issues than political. Whilst in China, they are hyper focused on anti-American rhetoric of the CCP. Even briefly, comparing those cartoons from The Times in the UK and the Straits Times in Singapore, the combative nature of the papers is evident. The issues that are tackled in the UK are mostly political, whilst in Singapore they are human issues, food, traffic and the like. You don’t need to read the paper to learn the news, this is evident just from the drawings.
The exaggerated features and symbolism of cartoons can provoke strong reactions from both the individuals and the wider groups being targeted. Their ability to capture nuances of expression makes them highly effective in shaping public perception, which amplifies the annoyance of those being depicted. A tragic example of this is the situation surrounding the French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which infamously published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, perceived as offensive. This resulted in an outcry from the Muslim community and ultimately a tragic terrorist attack in January 2015, where Islamist extremists killed 12 people, including cartoonists and journalists, in response.
Grab the analytics out of the bin
In writing this article, I have extensively examined cartoons from various corners of the globe: from the sharp satirical style of UK newspapers to China’s pro-government, anti-US renditions, and Singapore’s impartial, lifestyle-focused sketches. What unites them all is their potent ability, whether tightly regulated or freely expressed, to distill the essence of their publications and the broader media environment, creating compelling narratives without the need for words.
In conclusion, while analytics do play a crucial role in providing quantitative insights on readership and trends, there is something that can be said for the study of cartoons and its ability to offer a qualitative exploration of the human experience. Through creativity, wit, and cultural insight, cartoons resonate with readers in ways that transcend data, making them indispensable in capturing the essence and spirit of a newspaper.
David Horsey, The Seattle Times
