Comments on: Steve Breen wins second Pulitzer Prize

By: Jim Lavery

Jim Lavery — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:49:50 +0000

“The cartoon posted here is not an editorial cartoon, itâ€™s humorous new illustration. It makes not point nor takes an editorial position on anything.”

I can’t say that’s entirely true–maybe it seems so now a year after the primaries. But at the time I think it WAS saying something. Bill was supposed to be Hillary’s greatest asset but he made several statements that did her more harm than good and then suddenly, quietly he was hardly seen or heard from. The cartoon uses imagery to MAKE A POINT that Bill’s sudden absense wasn’t just because he was busy elsewhere but that the Hillary campaign INTENTIONALLY was muzzling him. The EDITORIAL POSITION was illustrated by not having him merely bound and gagged in a closet somewhere (that’s how I do it but I digress)but in the cargo hold of the campaign bus amongst the rest of Hill’s BAGGAGE. I’m not saying it’s a great cartoon, but it’s not a bad one either and ultimately it does do what it’s supposed to do which is use imagery to make a point and take a position and even make it humorous to boot.

By: Dave Stephens

Dave Stephens — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 09:25:32 +0000

Blah blah blah, whine whine whine, whaa whaa whaaa.

Man up, all of you complaining whining wussified ultra wimps! One man won what MAYBE others should have won and MAYBE not… For folks who trade in opinions, you sure don’t understand the concept much.

An OPINION “illustrated” by an AWARD. Hurray!

Sour grapes much? Savor the flavor, ’cause you all look bad with THAT behavior…

By: Jeff Darcy

Jeff Darcy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:23:12 +0000

Good point Daryl,
But I believe the jury also included Joel Pett’s editor. Joel does the very kind of editorializing in his cartoons that Wiley seeks-as does Horsey. On top of that it’s a smaller daily that still employs it’s own cartoonist.

By: Daryl Cagle

Daryl Cagle — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 20:34:38 +0000

Maybe they should bar judges who just laid off their editorial cartoonist.

For Dick Adair’s entire career at the Honolulu Advertiser, the paper had a policy of having him draw a cartoon to illustrate the daily editorial. That’s not a corporate attitude I like to see in a Pulitzer judge.

That said, Steve Breen is a great guy, I’m happy to see him add another win.

By: Stacy Curtis

Stacy Curtis — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:50:49 +0000

I’m glad I’m not Steve Breen.
Even winning a Pulitzer is not enough for me to sit around and listen to my peers tell me how weak my work is.

One of the bad things about editorial cartoonists is they just don’t know when to shut up. :-)

If you don’t like who they chose for the Pulitzer Prize, e-mail the judges, don’t put it out here for Steve to read when he gets home and certainly don’t put it out here for his newspaper editors to read.

By: Jeff Darcy

Jeff Darcy — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:46:20 +0000

From what I read Steve is in Hawaii soaking up the rays and the praise coming his way. This is the second time I’ve heard of a cartoonist finding out they won while on vacation. I recall a story of Oliphant sitting at a bar with another cartoonist talking about the formula for drawing a Pulitzer winning cartoon involves having a dead body in it. I’m now thinking the formula for winning is being on vacation at some sunny resort when it’s announced.
To his credit Steve said he could think of 20 other cartoonists who were better than him who haven’t one it. As we saw in another post, every one probably has there own list of cartoonist who are overdue- I thought Rob Rogers, Jimmy Margulies, Lester, Bors ,Rall, Steve Kelley and a number of others all had great years and deserved a win or at least a nomination– but that’s not to take anything away from Steve. I loved the Obama superman toon- the Blago dumpster…and he cranked these out while doing a comic strip at the same time.
That said I think the Pulitzer’s luster and credibility is hurt when, as E&P pointed out, it continues to draw from the same small pool of cartoonists for its repeat nominees and winners when so many other good cartoonist have been flagrantly overlooked for years.

By: Wiley Miller

Wiley Miller — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:36:23 +0000

“Iâ€™m the last guy to argue against the exercise of free speech. But I think as a professional courtesy we can all at least allow the winner a few days to savor their victory.”

You don’t see the contradiction in that statement?

By: Mike Thompson

Mike Thompson — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:12:48 +0000

Itâ€™s the job of a cartoonist to point out the elephant in the room, and sometimes that includes our own room.

I’m the last guy to argue against the exercise of free speech. But I think as a professional courtesy we can all at least allow the winner a few days to savor their victory.

And I agree with Lester that Bors is an outstanding cartoonist.

By: Mike Lester

Mike Lester — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:51:23 +0000

PUL. ED.CARTOON JUDGES:
Jeanne Mariani-Belding, editorial page editor, The Honolulu Advertiser (chair)
Vanessa Gallman, editorial page editor, Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader
David Horsey*, editorial cartoonist and columnist, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Allison Silver, former editor, The Washington Independent
Ken Tingley, editor, The Post-Star, Glen Falls, NY

and Guest Judge Perez Hilton who knows as much if not more about ed. cartooning than the above “journalists”.

Just one example: EVERY cartoon Mat Bors did last year was better than anything I saw in the winning portfolio. Bors only mistake is that he ignored the national shame of infants drinking oil out of tanker trucks.

By: Wiley Miller

Wiley Miller — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:49:53 +0000

Apparently you didn’t understand my point, Mike. It wasn’t about Steve’s work, it’s about the obvious inability of the Pulitzer jury to understand just what an editorial cartoon is. The cartoon posted here is not an editorial cartoon, it’s humorous new illustration. It makes not point nor takes an editorial position on anything. If editors cannot grasp this, then what’s the point of having them making the decision on handing out journalism’s top prize for it?

It’s the job of a cartoonist to point out the elephant in the room, and sometimes that includes our own room.