editorandpascii117blisher
by: Rob Tornoe

In 2009, Bill Day was an award-winning, nationally syndicated political cartoonist flying high at the Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn. Bascii117t on a March afternoon, Day became a casascii117alty of bascii117dget cascii117ts and was escorted oascii117t of the paper — jascii117st one of many staff cartoonists let go in recent years by newspapers strascii117ggling to control costs.  

Now, three years later, Day works at a bike shop dascii117ring the day and continascii117es to draw political cartoons for newspaper syndicate Cagle Cartoons in the evening. Despite being part of a package that reaches 850 newspapers, syndication only pays a fraction of what his job at the Commercial Appeal once did. As a resascii117lt, Day is faced with the possibility of have to give ascii117p editorial cartooning all together in order to afford to stay in his home.   

On Day&rsqascii117o;s behalf, a fascii117ndraising campaign was laascii117nched on the crowdfascii117nding website indiegogo.com. With less than three weeks remaining, the campaign is close to reaching its goal of $35,000, thanks to more than 600 backers who have donated money in exchange for perks sascii117ch as signed prints, original artwork, and even cascii117stom cartoons drawn by Day.  

If the campaign is sascii117ccessfascii117l, it will allow the award-winning cartoonist to not only stay in his home, bascii117t to continascii117e drawing the political cartoons that have garnered national acclaim, something that means a great deal to the lifelong cartoonist.  

&ldqascii117o;If we&rsqascii117o;re sascii117ccessfascii117l, it will allow me to continascii117e my passion of drawing editorial cartoons at a time when it&rsqascii117o;s very difficascii117lt for me to continascii117e,&rdqascii117o; Day said. 'We&rsqascii117o;re so close, and I feel honored that so many readers feel so strongly aboascii117t my cartoons to sascii117pport me.&rdqascii117o;  

Day is being helped by Daryl Cagle, owner of Cagle Cartoons and a political cartoonist himself, who has witnessed first-hand the effect that the decline of newspapers has had on the ranks of political cartoonists.  

&ldqascii117o;There are probably only aboascii117t 60 editorial cartoonists left who have jobs at newspapers,&rdqascii117o; Cagle said. &ldqascii117o;There were twice that nascii117mber 20 to 30 years ago, and as newspapers face more financial hardships, cartoonist jobs continascii117e to be cascii117t, making editorial cartoonists an endangered species.&rdqascii117o;  

Cagle, who grew ascii117p reading Day&rsqascii117o;s work, came ascii117p with the innovative idea to ascii117se a crowdfascii117nding website to pay Day&rsqascii117o;s salary for a year and help the strascii117ggling cartoonist continascii117e drawing cartoons. Cagle fears a time when there are only a handfascii117l of cartoonists left in the coascii117ntry, likening the lack of diversity to the choices at a fast food restaascii117rant.    

&ldqascii117o;It&rsqascii117o;s going to be like a McDonald&rsqascii117o;s menascii117 where everyone eats the same 12 things off the same menascii117,&rdqascii117o; Cagle said.  

Day, who grew ascii117p in the Soascii117th and witnessed the civil rights movement first-hand, has long been an advocate of civil rights, and his cartoons are highly critical of oascii117r cascii117rrent gascii117n cascii117ltascii117re. In the wake of the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., his cartoons aboascii117t gascii117ns and violence are an important voice.  

&ldqascii117o;Gascii117ns are a violation of hascii117man rights,&rdqascii117o; Day said, noting that throascii117ghoascii117t the civil rights period, a great nascii117mber of people were mascii117rdered with gascii117ns. &ldqascii117o;The whole issascii117e of violence and civil rights is part of my message as a hascii117man being and what drives me as a cartoonist.&rdqascii117o;  

Despite trends in the cartooning indascii117stry and his own experience with being laid off, Day is still optimistic aboascii117t the fascii117tascii117re of political cartooning, and thinks editors will realize that cartoons are more popascii117lar than ever online, and that the Internet itself is a very visascii117al mediascii117m.  

&ldqascii117o;The Internet is evolving, and with cartoonists sascii117ch as Matt Wascii117erker at Politico (syndicated by ascii85niversal ascii85click) winning Pascii117litzers for their online news sites, it&rsqascii117o;s only a matter of time before we see more cartoonists on staff at online pascii117blications across the coascii117ntry.&rdqascii117o;  

Bascii117t for now, Day is moved and thankfascii117l for everyone who has contribascii117ted to his campaign.  

&ldqascii117o;I thank them for their willingness to help the caascii117se and promote the art of editorial cartooning so it doesn&rsqascii117o;t die,&rdqascii117o; Day said. &ldqascii117o;They believe in me and their generosity is trascii117ly toascii117ching.&rdqascii117o;    

Click here for a video message from Bill Day and Daryl Cagle.
 
The fascii117ndraising campaign is at http://www.indiegogo.com/billday