Columnists early response to Black Ink Monday

Today is Black Ink Monday and yesterday a couple of columnists wrote about the upcoming event.

Ted Vaden of the News & Observer talks about Dwane Powell’s work for their paper and the decline of the editorial cartoonist population in the U.S.

Their numbers seem to dwindle daily. Last week, prize-winning cartoonist Kevin “KAL” Kallaugher was one of 70 Baltimore Sun staffers to accept a management buyout offer. The Sun, a Tribune Co. paper, said he will not be replaced “for the foreseeable future.” Two weeks earlier, The Los Angeles Times, another Tribune newspaper, laid off Pulitzer-winner Michael Ramirez, who also won’t be replaced. The Chicago Tribune itself never replaced cartoonist Jeff MacNelly after he died in 2000.

Mike Fitts, Associate Editor of The State (South Carolina), chimes in with another recounting of who’s been laid off and then goes on to quote Chris Lamb:

Professor Lamb also points out how cartoons meet some of the challenges that obsess newspaper editors today. They appeal to everyone, young and old, and provide a quick, funny, visual message for folks with little time to spare for the morning paper.

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