Career Outlook
The editorial cartoonist's job is primarily linked to newspapers. Unfortunately, newspapers in America are experiencing serious financial hardships. In other words, this is not a career with enormous growth potential.
There aren't many more than ninety full-time cartoonists employed by newspapers in America today. When one of them retires, gets fired, or dies, it creates a vacuum at a newspaper that is filled by one of the others. A domino effect ensues, resulting in an opening for a full-time editorial cartoonist at one of the smaller newspapers. In some cases, newspapers don't fill the position left by a departing editorial cartoonist. After all, in a climate in which newspapers are pinching every penny, an editorial cartoonist is an unnecessary liability. Obviously, it's a nonessential full-time position. Plus, every time the cartoonist runs a piece on local subject matter, there's tremendous risk of insulting a potential advertiser.
Often editorial cartoonists include a small character near their signature. The character often makes a final, acerbic statement — a second punch line. These characters are called dingbats. Pat Oliphant's dingbat was a small penguin. Tom Toles's is a small self-caricature sitting at a drawing desk. Dingbats quickly turn into an editorial cartoonist's mascot.
Using cartoons from syndicated cartoonists is not only a less-expensive alternative, but it's also a safer one. On one hand, the paper doesn't use cartoons to comment on local issues. That means fewer local people get offended. That's a huge gain for today's cash-strapped newspapers. Also, subscribing to a syndicate allows an editor to pick and choose the commentary, avoiding potentially controversial topics.
However, any eulogies for editorial cartooning are woefully premature. Many editorial cartoonists have taken their work to the Internet. Self-publishing online has given this art form a new lease on life. Few cartoonists are making enough money to be self-sufficient, but the future looks bright.
