Henry Judge Cannon (‘Lofty’ to his mates -- nicknamed because he was so tall -- and ‘Harry’ to his family) served in WWII and spent time as a prisoner-of-war working on the infamous Thai-Burma Railway. As a medic at the camp, he treated the famous British satirical cartoonist Ronald Searle.
Upon returning home Lofty’s mental health took a turn for the worse. He spent many years at Bundoora Repatriation Hospital until his death in 1980. Lofty was involved in setting up the patient magazine ‘Outlook’ and establishing the book exchange program. The hospital is now Bundoora Homestead Art Centre.
When Lofty Cannon passed away, his family discovered a trove of drawings by Searle. These were drawings of the camp, as well as Lofty himself, all drawn by Ronald Searle. Searle credited him with saving his life.
Matt Jones has more at his Ronald Searle blog Perpetua.
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thursday, November 29, 2018
Video: Ngozi Ukazu: Rewriting the Rules of Success in the Comic Book World
Cartoonist Ngozi Ukazu raised more than $800,000 to bring her webcomic "Check, Please!" to bookstores.
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
From the Dick Buchanan Files: Gag Cartoons from World War II 1943 - 1945
Dick Buchanan has saved many cartoons from the paper drives and shares these cartoons by and about the service. Thank you, Dick!
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GAG CARTOONS
From WORLD WAR II
(1943 – 1945)
The second World War was a turning point in world history. In America the consequences were severe. Most men enlisted or were drafted into military service. In order to meet the supply demands of the soldiers fighting on land and sea there were countless shortages which affected every aspect of life on the home front. One of the many areas affected was the humor industry—gag writers and cartoonists enlisted or were drafted, resulting in a drain on talent. Because of the paper shortage, magazines contained far fewer pages than previous issues. Cartoon editors depended on the work of cartoonists not eligible for military service. Several cartoonists somehow managed to submit their work by mail while on active duty.
On the battlefront, humor provided a welcome respite from the reality of War.
One source of news and humor was Yank, a weekly newspaper published by the Army and distributed to soldiers everywhere. Yank was staffed by enlisted men for enlisted men, overseen by a few officers. The interior contained news from back home as well as stories about current military operations. There were cartoons drawn by members of the Yank staff and a 1/3-page Sad Sack cartoon by Sgt George Baker. Each issue also contained a full page of gag cartoons. Some of these were drawn by already established professional cartoonists, and others who would enjoy post-war careers as magazine gag cartoonists. They were joined by numerous amateur G.I. cartoonists.
This sampling of World War II gag cartoons includes both cartoons by home front cartoonists as well as work done by those in combat zones by the Yank staff and G.I contributors . . .
1. GEORGE SHELLHASE. Collier’s 1943.
2. CORKA (Jon Cronin). The Saturday Evening Post April 3, 1943.
3. FRANK BEAVEN. Collier’s September 25, 1943.
4. BARBARA SHERMUND. Collier’s October 23, 1943.
5. MISCHA RICHTER. The iconic “Rosie the Riveter” was the subject of many wartime cartoons. Collier’s June 5, 1943.
6. Cpl. NED HILTON. Collier’s July 31, 1943.
7. Pfc. ERNIE GARZA. Collier’s December, 1943.
8. Sgt. PER RUSE (PETE HANSEN). Hansen was a Disney animator before joining the service. His gag cartoons appeared in Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. In the 1950’s he worked on the comic strips Flappadoole and Lolly. Yank April 3, 1945.
9. Cpl. ERNEST MAXWELL. Yank June 1, 1945.
10. Cpl. A. DELATRI. Do we detect a Virgil Partch influence here? Yank June 1, 1945.
11. Pfc. TOM FLANNERY. Flannery became a major market cartoonist in the post-war era. Yank March 25, 1945.
12. RAYMOND F. FISHER. Yank 1944, May 14.
13. Sgt. CHARLES PEARSON. A major market cartoonist before and after the war, he made his first sale to the “old” Life. Yank April 3, 1945.
15. Pfc HANK (HENRY) SYVERSON. Syverson was another Disney animator before the war and a best-selling magazine cartoonist for decades afterwards. He was best known for his long association with The Saturday Evening Post. Yank April 3, 1945.
16. Sgt. TOM ZIBELLI. Also, successful cartoonist after the war who signed his cartoons Zib. Yank April 3, 1945.
17. Pvt. LARRY KATZMAN. Yank April 27, 1945.
18. Sgt. JIM WEEKS. Yank March 25, 1945.
19. Sgt. H. BAUMAN. Yank March 25, 1945.
20. Sgt. GEORGE BAKER. Baker was still another Disney animator who joined the Army. Enlisted men everywhere were absolutely wild about his weekly pantomime panel cartoon Sad Sack. Yank May 4, 1945
---
GAG CARTOONS
From WORLD WAR II
(1943 – 1945)
The second World War was a turning point in world history. In America the consequences were severe. Most men enlisted or were drafted into military service. In order to meet the supply demands of the soldiers fighting on land and sea there were countless shortages which affected every aspect of life on the home front. One of the many areas affected was the humor industry—gag writers and cartoonists enlisted or were drafted, resulting in a drain on talent. Because of the paper shortage, magazines contained far fewer pages than previous issues. Cartoon editors depended on the work of cartoonists not eligible for military service. Several cartoonists somehow managed to submit their work by mail while on active duty.
On the battlefront, humor provided a welcome respite from the reality of War.
One source of news and humor was Yank, a weekly newspaper published by the Army and distributed to soldiers everywhere. Yank was staffed by enlisted men for enlisted men, overseen by a few officers. The interior contained news from back home as well as stories about current military operations. There were cartoons drawn by members of the Yank staff and a 1/3-page Sad Sack cartoon by Sgt George Baker. Each issue also contained a full page of gag cartoons. Some of these were drawn by already established professional cartoonists, and others who would enjoy post-war careers as magazine gag cartoonists. They were joined by numerous amateur G.I. cartoonists.
This sampling of World War II gag cartoons includes both cartoons by home front cartoonists as well as work done by those in combat zones by the Yank staff and G.I contributors . . .
1. GEORGE SHELLHASE. Collier’s 1943.
2. CORKA (Jon Cronin). The Saturday Evening Post April 3, 1943.
3. FRANK BEAVEN. Collier’s September 25, 1943.
4. BARBARA SHERMUND. Collier’s October 23, 1943.
5. MISCHA RICHTER. The iconic “Rosie the Riveter” was the subject of many wartime cartoons. Collier’s June 5, 1943.
6. Cpl. NED HILTON. Collier’s July 31, 1943.
7. Pfc. ERNIE GARZA. Collier’s December, 1943.
8. Sgt. PER RUSE (PETE HANSEN). Hansen was a Disney animator before joining the service. His gag cartoons appeared in Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. In the 1950’s he worked on the comic strips Flappadoole and Lolly. Yank April 3, 1945.
9. Cpl. ERNEST MAXWELL. Yank June 1, 1945.
10. Cpl. A. DELATRI. Do we detect a Virgil Partch influence here? Yank June 1, 1945.
11. Pfc. TOM FLANNERY. Flannery became a major market cartoonist in the post-war era. Yank March 25, 1945.
12. RAYMOND F. FISHER. Yank 1944, May 14.
13. Sgt. CHARLES PEARSON. A major market cartoonist before and after the war, he made his first sale to the “old” Life. Yank April 3, 1945.
14.
Cpl. JOHN RUGE. Ruge, a New Yorker cartoonist, appeared more
frequently in Collier’s and The Saturday Evening Post. Yank May 14,
1944.
15. Pfc HANK (HENRY) SYVERSON. Syverson was another Disney animator before the war and a best-selling magazine cartoonist for decades afterwards. He was best known for his long association with The Saturday Evening Post. Yank April 3, 1945.
16. Sgt. TOM ZIBELLI. Also, successful cartoonist after the war who signed his cartoons Zib. Yank April 3, 1945.
17. Pvt. LARRY KATZMAN. Yank April 27, 1945.
18. Sgt. JIM WEEKS. Yank March 25, 1945.
19. Sgt. H. BAUMAN. Yank March 25, 1945.
20. Sgt. GEORGE BAKER. Baker was still another Disney animator who joined the Army. Enlisted men everywhere were absolutely wild about his weekly pantomime panel cartoon Sad Sack. Yank May 4, 1945
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Wayne Stayskal 1931 - 2018
Editorial cartoonist Wayne Stayskal passed away on November 20, 2018 from complications due to Alzheimer's Disease. He was 86 years old.
Born in Oak Park, IL on December 11, 1931, he graduated from Steinmetz High School in 1950. After serving in the US Air Force, he married his longtime sweetheart Helen on September 21, 1951. With her encouragement, he enrolled in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He graduated in 1956, and became the Art Director for the Chicago American in 1957. He succeeded his mentor, Vaughan Shoemaker, as chief cartoonist at the paper. When the Chicago America went out of business in 1972, Wayne worked as editorial cartoonist at the Chicago Tribune until 1984. He then worked in that same capacity for from 1984 to 2004 for the Tampa Tribune. He retired in 2010.
From his Wikipedia page:
A Chicago native, Stayskal was the son of Harold Stejskal, a railway mail supervisor for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific railroad. He grew up in Chicago and graduated in 1950 from Steinmetz High School. Stayskal had wanted to be a cartoonist since he was a boy sprawled on his living room floor, copying the characters in timeless comic strips like “Dick Tracy” and “Blondie,” he told the Tribune in 1974.
“His obvious talent to draw…was seen in him as a child by his parents, Mary and Harold (and) they encouraged I’m to take art classes in school and later attend art school,” John Stayskal said. “His wife Helen…also saw his talent and encouraged him to pursue a career drawing.”
Stayskal served in the Air Force before enrolling in the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, where he earned a degree in 1956. After first working in advertising art, Stayskal joined the Chicago American newspaper in 1957 as an artist for its Sunday magazine.
While working at the American, which was renamed Chicago’s American in 1959, Stayskal drew illustrations for the magazine and occasional sketches to accompany feature stories. During that time, Stayskal found his real interest was in becoming an editorial cartoonist.
“I decided to go up and talk to the editorial cartoonists at the newspaper, but I couldn’t find their office,” Stayskal told the Tribune’s Robert Davis in 1974. “I asked the art director and he told me they were syndicated out of other cities. We didn’t even have an editorial cartoonist of our own.”
After legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Vaughn Shoemaker joined the American in 1961, Shoemaker took on Stayskal as his assistant, “and I learned at his side.”
Stayskal continued with the American after it was renamed Chicago Today and converted to a tabloid in 1969. His cartoons were produced from a conservative political perspective, including staunch opposition to abortion.
“Wayne Stayskal was a reliable, thoughtful conservative who was unafraid to state that which he believed. In a cartooning profession that was and remains overwhelmingly liberal, Wayne had the courage of his convictions,” Stantis said.
Stayskal’s views on abortion “cost him many clients but won him grudging admiration for taking such a strong moral stance in his work, especially at a time when many editorial cartoonists were going for laughs over substance,” Stantis said.
In April 1970, Stayskal published a cartoon that drew significant response from readers, about the failed Apollo 13 mission to the moon. As the distressed Apollo 13 capsule was returning to Earth after its crippling accident near the moon, Stayskal drew a cartoon showing hands outstretched from the Earth to welcome the capsule.
“People really felt that cartoon; but it’s funny, I don’t want to draw that way,” Stayskal told the Tribune in 1974.
In January 1973, Chicago Today discontinued its weekend editions, and Stayskal’s work began appearing on Sundays in the Tribune’s Perspective section. After the Tribune absorbed Chicago Today in September 1974, Stayskal’s editorial cartoons began appearing six days a week in the Tribune.
“Humor has that unique dimension to cut through the seriousness of what’s happening today, though as James Thurber said, ‘Humor is a very serious thing,’” Stayskal told the Tribune in 1974. “I don’t draw humor for humor’s sake. My cartoons, hopefully, clarify some very serious situations in the country — things people are thinking about and talking about, that are affecting them — and capture the humorous side of American life.”
Stayskal left the Tribune in 1984 to move to Tampa to work as an editorial cartoonist for the Tampa Tribune. His work was syndicated nationwide by Tribune Media, and he also drew several comic strips for at time, including “Balderdash” and “Ralph,” and under the pseudonym “Hal Trim,” he wrote the single-panel sports strip “Trim’s Arena.”
Stayskal also coauthored several books with his good friend, conservative columnist, Cal Thomas, including the 1985 book “Liberals for Lunch.”
Cal Thomas has honored Wayne by saying, "I think he has been one of the greatest cartoonist/commentators of our time, especially on matters touching on faith and culture." [1]
During his career, Stayskal received many honors. Locally, he was honored by the Chicago Newspaper Guild in 1975 for service to journalism. He also was honored in 1970 by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge with an Honor Certificate Award for a 1969 cartoon depicting the moon landing.
After retiring from the Tampa Tribune in 2004, Stayskal continued to draw syndicated cartoons until retiring completely in 2010. Also after retiring from the Tampa Tribune, Stayskal and his wife moved back to the Chicago area, settling first in St. Charles and then in a retirement community in Carol Stream.[2] (Much of this Wikipedia entry was taken from Bob Goldsborough's obituary for Wayne.)
After retiring from the Tampa Tribune in 2004, Stayskal continued to draw syndicated cartoons until retiring completely in 2010. Also after retiring from the Tampa Tribune, Stayskal and his wife moved back to the Chicago area, settling first in St. Charles and then in a retirement community in Carol Stream.
It was said of Wayne, “For four decades, Stayskal’s distinctive, loose style and razor-sharp wit have thrilled his admirers, enraged his political targets, and explored the frontiers of political satire. In short, Stayskal embodies those qualities that make a great newspaper cartoonist: He draws both blood and laughs." [3]
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Video: Liza Donnelly at Barnard College.
From Barnard College:
Join us for a conversation with Athena Distinguished Fellow Liza Donnelly, a visual journalist, cartoonist, and writer with The New Yorker and The New York Times. She is also a resident cartoonist at CBS News and a contributor to CNN. Donnelly is a Cultural Envoy for the U.S. State Department, traveling around the world speaking about freedom of speech, cartoons and women’s rights; and she is also a charter member of Cartooning for Peace, an international organization to promote dialogue and understanding through editorial cartoons. She has an honorary PhD for her work in women’s rights and peace from the University of Connecticut and her TEDtalk on gender was translated into 38 languages and viewed online over a million times. Through her work as a cartoonist and writer, she has been able to leverage humor to help rewrite the rules around gender and power in our society. This conversation will explore what it is like to be a woman cartoonist and how we can use humor for change.
Our Power Talks series features today’s leaders discussing provocative topics of the moment. Each talk is followed by an audience Q&A.
This conversation will be moderated by Jenna Freedman, Associate Director for Comm. Cur. for the Barnard Library and Zine Librarian, and is co-sponsored by Barnard Library and Academic Information Services and the Columbia Artist Society.
Video: Signe Wilkinson at Villanova University
Via Villanova University:
Signe Wilkinson, Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, discusses free speech, freedom of the press, and the challenges of her job.
Signe Wilkinson, Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist for The Philadelphia Inquirer, discusses free speech, freedom of the press, and the challenges of her job.
Monday, November 19, 2018
From the Dick Buchanan Files: Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 8 1946 - 1956
Once again, Dick Buchanan has ventured forth into his Greenwich Village apartment and retrieved some golden age of gag cartooning clichés for our viewing enjoyment. And so, at this time of Thanksgiving, I give thanks to Dick for collecting these single panel gems through the years, and sharing them with us over a half a century since they first saw print.
Miss some of the previous gag cartoon clichés? Here's the links:
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 1
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 2
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 3
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 4
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 5
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 6
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 7
Take it away, Dick!
--
GAG CARTOON CLICHÉS
Part Eight: 1946 – 1956
Here is the final (for now) installment of GAG CARTOONS CLICHÉS from the Golden Age of clichés, selected in the from the Dick Buchanan Cartoon Clip File . . .
AT THE OPERA.
1. STAN GOMBERG, The Saturday Evening Post December 8, 1951.
2. WALT WETTERBERG. The Saturday Evening Post January 13, 1951.
3. VIRGIL PARTCH. Collier’s October 9, 1948.
COSTUME PARTIES.
1. DON CHRISTENSEN. Liberty August 3, 1946.
2. FRED LEVINSON. The Saturday Evening Post June 11, 1956.
3. MELL LAZARUS. The Saturday Evening Post January 27, 1951.
INFORMATION BOOTH.
1. KIRK STILES. American Legion Magazine March, 1947.
2. SALO ROTH. The Saturday Evening Post November 29, 1949.
3. DICK CAVALLI. 1000 Jokes Magazine November, 1954 – January, 1955.
PARROTS.
1. DICK CAVALLI. The Saturday Evening Post January 21, 1953.
2. RAY HELLE. The Saturday Evening Post January 1, 1949.
3. GEORGE PRICE. Collier’s December 1946.
HOSPITAL NEWBORN NURSERY.
1. SYDNEY HOFF. 1000 Jokes Magazine Fall, 1953.
2. AL KAUFMAN. The Saturday Evening Post June 5, 1954.
3. REAMER KELLER. The Saturday Evening Post January 31, 1948.
Miss some of the previous gag cartoon clichés? Here's the links:
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 1
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 2
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 3
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 4
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 5
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 6
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 7
Take it away, Dick!
--
GAG CARTOON CLICHÉS
Part Eight: 1946 – 1956
Here is the final (for now) installment of GAG CARTOONS CLICHÉS from the Golden Age of clichés, selected in the from the Dick Buchanan Cartoon Clip File . . .
AT THE OPERA.
1. STAN GOMBERG, The Saturday Evening Post December 8, 1951.
2. WALT WETTERBERG. The Saturday Evening Post January 13, 1951.
3. VIRGIL PARTCH. Collier’s October 9, 1948.
COSTUME PARTIES.
1. DON CHRISTENSEN. Liberty August 3, 1946.
2. FRED LEVINSON. The Saturday Evening Post June 11, 1956.
3. MELL LAZARUS. The Saturday Evening Post January 27, 1951.
INFORMATION BOOTH.
1. KIRK STILES. American Legion Magazine March, 1947.
2. SALO ROTH. The Saturday Evening Post November 29, 1949.
3. DICK CAVALLI. 1000 Jokes Magazine November, 1954 – January, 1955.
PARROTS.
1. DICK CAVALLI. The Saturday Evening Post January 21, 1953.
2. RAY HELLE. The Saturday Evening Post January 1, 1949.
3. GEORGE PRICE. Collier’s December 1946.
1. SYDNEY HOFF. 1000 Jokes Magazine Fall, 1953.
Friday, November 16, 2018
Marc Maron Podcast: Tony Millionaire Interview
Cartoonist Tony Millionaire stops by the garage, six-pack in hand, to explain the origins of Drinky Crow, Maakies and his other popular comics. He also talks with Marc about punchlines, swingers and having kids in his 50s.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
88 Rights Groups Call for Facebook to Implement Appeals Process for Removed Content
The Cartoonists Rights Network International has signed on to the below letter citing:
I would ask that the National Cartoonists Society and the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists consider joining the signees.
Via the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Dear Mark Zuckerberg:
What do the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a Danish member of parliament, and a news anchor from the Philippines have in common? They have all been subject to a misapplication of Facebook's Community Standards. But unlike the average user, each of these individuals and entities received media attention, were able to reach Facebook staff and, in some cases, receive an apology and have their content restored. For most users, content that Facebook removes is rarely restored, and some users may be banned from the platform – even in the event of an error.
When Facebook first came onto our screens, users who violated its rules and had their content removed or their account deactivated were sent a message telling them that the decision was final and could not be appealed. It was only in 2011, after years of advocacy from human rights organizations, that your company added a mechanism to appeal account deactivations, and only in 2018 that Facebook initiated a process for remedying wrongful takedowns of certain types of content. Those appeals are available for posts removed for nudity, sexual activity, hate speech or graphic violence.
This is a positive development, but it doesn't go far enough.
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, call on Facebook to provide a mechanism for all of its users to appeal content restrictions, and, in every case, to have the appealed decision re-reviewed by a human moderator.
Facebook's stated mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. With more than two billion users and a wide variety of features, Facebook is the world's most-used communications platform. We know that you recognize the responsibility you have to prevent abuse and keep users safe. Social media companies, including Facebook, also have a responsibility to respect human rights. International and regional human rights bodies have a number of specific recommendations for improvements here, notably concerning the right to remedy.
Facebook remains far behind its competitors when it comes to affording its users due process. [1] We know from years of research and documentation that human content moderators, as well as machine learning algorithms, are prone to error, and that even low error rates can result in millions of silenced users when operating at massive scale. Yet Facebook users are only able to appeal content decisions in a limited set of circumstances, and it is impossible for users to know how pervasive erroneous content takedowns are without increased transparency on Facebook's part. [2] Furthermore, civil society groups around the globe have criticized the way that Facebook's Community Standards exhibit bias and are unevenly applied across different languages and cultural contexts.
Earlier this year, a group of advocates and academics put forward the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation, which recommend a set of minimum standards for transparency and meaningful appeal. This set of recommendations is supported by the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of the right to freedom of expression and opinion David Kaye, who recently called for a “framework for the moderation of user-generated online content that puts human rights at the very center.” It is also supported by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
While we acknowledge that Facebook can and does shape its Community Standards according to its values, the company has a responsibility to protect its users' expression to the best of its ability. Offering a remedy mechanism, as well as more transparency, will go a long way toward supporting user expression.
Specifically, we ask Facebook to incorporate the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation into their policies and practices, and to provide:
Notice: Clearly explain to users why their content has been restricted.
Appeals: Provide users with a chance to appeal content moderation decisions.
Numbers: Issue regular transparency reports on Community Standards enforcement.
1 See EFF's Who Has Your Back? 2018 Report https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2018, and Ranking Digital Rights Indicator G6, https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/indicators/g6/.
2 See Ranking Digital Rights, Indicators F4 https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/indicators/f4/, and F8, https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/indicators/f8/ and New America's Open Technology Institute, “Transparency Reporting Toolkit: Content Takedown Reporting”, https://www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/transparency-reporting-toolkit-content-takedown-reporting/
3 For example, see Article 19's policy brief, “Self-regulation and 'hate speech' on social media platforms,” https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Self-regulation-and-%E2%80%98hate-speech%E2%80%99-on-social-media-platforms_March2018.pdf.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
7amleh - Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
Adil Soz - International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)
Albanian Media Institute
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
ARTICLE 19
Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias América Latina y el Caribe (AMARC ALC)
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
Bytes for All (B4A)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Independent Journalism - Romania
Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP)
Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Digital Rights Foundation
Foro de Periodismo Argentino
Foundation for Press Freedom - FLIP
Freedom Forum
Fundamedios - Andean Foundation for Media Observation and Study
Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Initiative for Freedom of Expression - Turkey
International Press Centre (IPC)
MARCH
Mediacentar Sarajevo
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
OpenMedia
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
PEN America
PEN Canada
SFLC.in
Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
South East Europe Media Organisation
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
Visualizing Impact (VI)
ACLU Foundation of Northern California
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Arab Digital Expression Foundation
Artículo 12
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
CAIR San Francisco Bay Area
CALAM
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Collaborators
Center for Democracy and Technology
EFF Austin
El Instituto Panameño de Derecho y Nuevas Tecnologías (IPANDETEC)
Electronic Frontier Finland
Elektronisk Forpost Norge
Fundaciõn Acceso
Fundaciõn Ciudadano Inteligente
Fundaciõn Datos Protegidos
Fundaciõn Internet Bolivia.org
Fundaciõn Via Libre
Garoa Hacker Club
HERMES Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights
Hiperderecho
Homo Digitalis
Idec - Brazilian Institute of Consumer Defense
Instituto Nupef
Internet Without Borders
Intervozes - Coletivo Brasil de Comunição Social
La Asociaciõn para una Ciudadanía Participativa ACI Participa
May First/People Link
New America's Open Technology Institute
NYC Privacy
Open MIC (Open Media and Information Companies Initiative)
Panoptykon Foundation
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
Portland TA3M
Privacy Watch
Raging Grannies
Ranking Digital Rights
ReThink LinkNYC
Rhode Island Rights
SHARE Foundation
SumOfUs
Syrian Archive
t4tech
Techactivist.org
Viet Tan
Witness
Xnet
"Too many cartoonists are reporting posts banned by abuse of the existing complaints procedure as well as difficulties caused by algorithmic handling of content."
I would ask that the National Cartoonists Society and the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists consider joining the signees.
Via the Electronic Frontier Foundation:
Dear Mark Zuckerberg:
What do the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a Danish member of parliament, and a news anchor from the Philippines have in common? They have all been subject to a misapplication of Facebook's Community Standards. But unlike the average user, each of these individuals and entities received media attention, were able to reach Facebook staff and, in some cases, receive an apology and have their content restored. For most users, content that Facebook removes is rarely restored, and some users may be banned from the platform – even in the event of an error.
When Facebook first came onto our screens, users who violated its rules and had their content removed or their account deactivated were sent a message telling them that the decision was final and could not be appealed. It was only in 2011, after years of advocacy from human rights organizations, that your company added a mechanism to appeal account deactivations, and only in 2018 that Facebook initiated a process for remedying wrongful takedowns of certain types of content. Those appeals are available for posts removed for nudity, sexual activity, hate speech or graphic violence.
This is a positive development, but it doesn't go far enough.
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, call on Facebook to provide a mechanism for all of its users to appeal content restrictions, and, in every case, to have the appealed decision re-reviewed by a human moderator.
Facebook's stated mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. With more than two billion users and a wide variety of features, Facebook is the world's most-used communications platform. We know that you recognize the responsibility you have to prevent abuse and keep users safe. Social media companies, including Facebook, also have a responsibility to respect human rights. International and regional human rights bodies have a number of specific recommendations for improvements here, notably concerning the right to remedy.
Facebook remains far behind its competitors when it comes to affording its users due process. [1] We know from years of research and documentation that human content moderators, as well as machine learning algorithms, are prone to error, and that even low error rates can result in millions of silenced users when operating at massive scale. Yet Facebook users are only able to appeal content decisions in a limited set of circumstances, and it is impossible for users to know how pervasive erroneous content takedowns are without increased transparency on Facebook's part. [2] Furthermore, civil society groups around the globe have criticized the way that Facebook's Community Standards exhibit bias and are unevenly applied across different languages and cultural contexts.
Earlier this year, a group of advocates and academics put forward the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation, which recommend a set of minimum standards for transparency and meaningful appeal. This set of recommendations is supported by the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of the right to freedom of expression and opinion David Kaye, who recently called for a “framework for the moderation of user-generated online content that puts human rights at the very center.” It is also supported by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
While we acknowledge that Facebook can and does shape its Community Standards according to its values, the company has a responsibility to protect its users' expression to the best of its ability. Offering a remedy mechanism, as well as more transparency, will go a long way toward supporting user expression.
Specifically, we ask Facebook to incorporate the Santa Clara Principles on Transparency and Accountability in Content Moderation into their policies and practices, and to provide:
Notice: Clearly explain to users why their content has been restricted.
- Notifications should include the specific clause from the Community Standards that the content was found to violate.
- Notice should be sufficiently detailed to allow the user to identify the specific content that was restricted, and should include information about how the content was detected, evaluated, and removed.
- Individuals must have clear information about how to appeal the decision.
Appeals: Provide users with a chance to appeal content moderation decisions.
- The appeals mechanism should be easily accessible and easy to use.
- Appeals should be subject to review by a person or panel of persons not involved in the initial decision.
- Users must have the right to propose new evidence or material to be considered in the review.
- Appeals should result in a prompt determination and reply to the user.
- Any exceptions to the principle of universal appeals should be clearly disclosed and compatible with international human rights principles.
- Facebook should collaborate with other stakeholders to develop new independent self-regulatory mechanisms for social media that will provide greater accountability.
Numbers: Issue regular transparency reports on Community Standards enforcement.
- Present complete data describing the categories of user content that are restricted (text, photo or video; violence, nudity, copyright violations, etc.), as well as the number of pieces of content that were restricted or removed in each category.
- Incorporate data on how many content moderation actions were initiated by a user flag, a trusted flagger program, or by proactive Community Standard enforcement (such as through the use of a machine learning algorithm).
- Include data on the number of decisions that were effectively appealed or otherwise found to have been made in error.
- Include data reflecting whether the company performed any proactive audits of its unappealed moderation decisions, as well as the error rates the company found.
1 See EFF's Who Has Your Back? 2018 Report https://www.eff.org/who-has-your-back-2018, and Ranking Digital Rights Indicator G6, https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/indicators/g6/.
2 See Ranking Digital Rights, Indicators F4 https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/indicators/f4/, and F8, https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/indicators/f8/ and New America's Open Technology Institute, “Transparency Reporting Toolkit: Content Takedown Reporting”, https://www.newamerica.org/oti/reports/transparency-reporting-toolkit-content-takedown-reporting/
3 For example, see Article 19's policy brief, “Self-regulation and 'hate speech' on social media platforms,” https://www.article19.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Self-regulation-and-%E2%80%98hate-speech%E2%80%99-on-social-media-platforms_March2018.pdf.
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
7amleh - Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media
Adil Soz - International Foundation for Protection of Freedom of Speech
Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC)
Albanian Media Institute
Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB)
ARTICLE 19
Asociación Mundial de Radios Comunitarias América Latina y el Caribe (AMARC ALC)
Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE)
Bytes for All (B4A)
Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI)
Center for Independent Journalism - Romania
Center for Media Studies & Peace Building (CEMESP)
Child Rights International Network (CRIN)
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Digital Rights Foundation
Foro de Periodismo Argentino
Foundation for Press Freedom - FLIP
Freedom Forum
Fundamedios - Andean Foundation for Media Observation and Study
Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR)
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
Independent Journalism Center (IJC)
Initiative for Freedom of Expression - Turkey
International Press Centre (IPC)
MARCH
Mediacentar Sarajevo
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)
Media Rights Agenda (MRA)
OpenMedia
Pacific Islands News Association (PINA)
PEN America
PEN Canada
SFLC.in
Social Media Exchange (SMEX)
Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA)
South East Europe Media Organisation
Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Vigilance for Democracy and the Civic State
Visualizing Impact (VI)
ACLU Foundation of Northern California
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Arab Digital Expression Foundation
Artículo 12
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law
CAIR San Francisco Bay Area
CALAM
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Collaborators
Center for Democracy and Technology
EFF Austin
El Instituto Panameño de Derecho y Nuevas Tecnologías (IPANDETEC)
Electronic Frontier Finland
Elektronisk Forpost Norge
Fundaciõn Acceso
Fundaciõn Ciudadano Inteligente
Fundaciõn Datos Protegidos
Fundaciõn Internet Bolivia.org
Fundaciõn Via Libre
Garoa Hacker Club
HERMES Center for Transparency and Digital Human Rights
Hiperderecho
Homo Digitalis
Idec - Brazilian Institute of Consumer Defense
Instituto Nupef
Internet Without Borders
Intervozes - Coletivo Brasil de Comunição Social
La Asociaciõn para una Ciudadanía Participativa ACI Participa
May First/People Link
New America's Open Technology Institute
NYC Privacy
Open MIC (Open Media and Information Companies Initiative)
Panoptykon Foundation
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
Portland TA3M
Privacy Watch
Raging Grannies
Ranking Digital Rights
ReThink LinkNYC
Rhode Island Rights
SHARE Foundation
SumOfUs
Syrian Archive
t4tech
Techactivist.org
Viet Tan
Witness
Xnet
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
Stan Lee 1922 - 2018
Stan Lee passed away early Monday morning at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 95.
Best known for creating "superheroes with feet of clay," his career practically began at the beginning of American comic books.
Hollywood Reporter:
Lee, who began in the business in 1939 and created or co-created Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Mighty Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and Ant-Man, among countless other characters, died early Monday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, a family representative told The Hollywood Reporter.
Kirk Schenck, an attorney for Lee's daughter, J.C. Lee, also confirmed his death.
Lee's final few years were tumultuous. After Joan, his wife of 69 years, died in July 2017, he sued executives at POW! Entertainment — a company he founded in 2001 to develop film, TV and video game properties — for $1 billion alleging fraud, then abruptly dropped the suit weeks later. He also sued his ex-business manager and filed for a restraining order against a man who had been handling his affairs. (Lee's estate is estimated to be worth as much as $70 million.) And in June 2018, it was revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department had been investigating reports of elder abuse against him.
He was bigger than life and impacted millions of kids for generations. For me, he personified superhero comics. In the first Marvel comic I bought, Daredevil Special #1, he's in there. So is the artist Gene Colan. They have a little 2 or 3 page filler where they talk about the process of coming up with a comic book. I had never seen anything like it: a casual cameo of the real world people who made the comic I was holding in my hands. Sure, most of the book was Daredevil trying to beat these badguys -- but THIS! Wow. It was the first Marvel comic I ever bought, and I was hooked. I had no idea that decades later, the tradition of "a cameo by Stan Lee" would continue in the multi-billion dollar Marvel movie franchise.
Comic Book Reporter has compiled them:
Monday, November 12, 2018
Victor Juhasz: Combat Artist
Victor Juhasz has joined the proud tradition of being a combat artist. Here he is at Quantico a couple of years ago:
"For me it was another prime opportunity to practice being fast under constantly fluid circumstances. While it was live fire training, it was not actual combat live fire, which allowed me the luxury of not having to worry about getting killed (provided I stay out of the way of the bullets) and instead focus on the number of opportunities to find the right place to be as the lieutenants repeated their exercises. Classic trial and error, and adaptation. These were not portraits. The emphasis was on action and narrative and since the teams were all taking turns performing the same exercises it was not essential to finish a drawing of one specific group but patiently and methodically add new figures to the drawing already in progress."
He continued on, returning to draw the Navy on the USS Bataan. And he returned this year, drawing the Marines in Camp Wilson.
"This was their first time dealing with people who 'draw on the spot' and it’s very different from photographers they’ve been so accustomed to. I’m sure they were feeling it out how to accommodate us. We often heard the comically inaccurate description from Marines, and it would make us laugh, that we were drawing 'photos' of them. It didn't take long though for our reputation on the base to be getting attention. It seemed that many knew about us before we even met. It was pretty noteworthy the number of Marines, from commanding officers on down the ranks, wanting to share images of their kids' drawings and paintings and letting us know how much they enjoyed and supported their kids' creative aspirations. I'm sure I'll be hearing from some of those sons and daughters since I gave their parent's my card. Until I do hear from them my advice remains, keep drawing."Some great work here, and some wonderful stories. Well worth browsing. Thanks for sharing this, Victor!
Friday, November 09, 2018
Bill Gallo: 1968 Sports Night
Fifty years ago ....
From the April 1969 CARTOONIST, the NCS in-house magazine, then edited by Jud Hurd: here is Chairman Bill Gallo with his 1968 Sports Night event. Rocky Graziano belts out a song! Ralph Houk, manager of the Yankees, is the guest of honor. Jake La Motta does a funny monologue (and ya better LAFF!). Meadowlark Lemon sings! Otto Soglow and Irwin Hasen in a comedy skit written by Bob Dunn. And, to top it all off, Gallo's "Basement Bertha" and Willard Mullins' "Bum" in the NCS version of the wedding of the year. Frank Springer created the awards. Jim Ruth took all of the photos.
From the April 1969 CARTOONIST, the NCS in-house magazine, then edited by Jud Hurd: here is Chairman Bill Gallo with his 1968 Sports Night event. Rocky Graziano belts out a song! Ralph Houk, manager of the Yankees, is the guest of honor. Jake La Motta does a funny monologue (and ya better LAFF!). Meadowlark Lemon sings! Otto Soglow and Irwin Hasen in a comedy skit written by Bob Dunn. And, to top it all off, Gallo's "Basement Bertha" and Willard Mullins' "Bum" in the NCS version of the wedding of the year. Frank Springer created the awards. Jim Ruth took all of the photos.
Thursday, November 08, 2018
Video: James Sturm Talks
From Landmark College's Fall 2018 Academic Speaker Series: James Sturm, co-founder of the Center for Cartoon Studies talks the history of the language and art of comics,
and the new ways that cartooning and visual storytelling are changing
the world.
Kayfabe Commentary: Wizard Magazine issue 1, Sept 1991
Each week Ed Piskor and Jim Rugg will be giving detailed commentary and
analysis about a very wild time in comic book history using each issue
of Wizard magazine to tell the story. A four-color gold rush tale about a
bubble, its bursting, and the lasting ramifications that led to the
comics culture we have today.
More links at the YouTube page.
More links at the YouTube page.
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
BBC Video: Ex-Disney Animator's Touching Tribute to His Late Wife
Ex-Disney animator Gary Andrews' beautiful animation 'The Doodle Diaries' illustrates what family life is like since the loss of his wife Joy.
New Netflix Animation
Wow. Netflix has some of the most talented creators out there working on new stuff for us! Jorge Gutiérrez said that he was going to be part of a big wave of new animated projects thru the streaming service -- I just didn't know HOW big. Until I saw this!
"The six all-new projects together with Netflix’s previously announced titles now comprise a slate that features a variety of animation styles – including CG (Kris Pearn’s The Willoughbys), 2D (Nora Twomey’s My Father’s Dragon), and stop-motion (Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio). The programming is designed to meet the tastes of every member of the family – from preschoolers (Rajiv Chilaka’s Mighty Little Bheem) to kids (Craig McCracken’s Kid Cosmic) to parents and their children together (Jorge Gutierrez’ Maya and the Three) – so that families everywhere can find something that fits their unique DNA."Collider has more here.
Tuesday, November 06, 2018
From the Dick Buchanan Files: Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 7 1937 - 1963
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 1
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 2
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 3
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 4
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 5
Gag Cartoon Clichés Part 6
Take it away, Dick! And thanks!
---
GAG CARTOON CLICHÉS
Part Seven: 1937 – 1963
This is the seventh installment of GAG CARTOONS CLICHÉS, selected in the usual haphazard manner from the Dick Buchanan Cartoon Clip File for the delight and amusement of all . . .
WILLIAM TELL.
1. TOM HUDSON. The Saturday Evening Post January 15, 1949.
2. SIDNEY HARRIS. Cartoons & Gags August, 1960.
3. BOB BARNES. For Laughing Out Loud January – March, 1962.
CRAWLING THROUGH THE DESERT.
1. VIRGIL PARTCH. Collier’s June 22, 1956.
1. VIRGIL PARTCH. Collier’s June 22, 1956.
2. CHON DAY. The Saturday Evening Post September 28, 1962.
3. VIRGIL PARTCH. Look Magazine May 18, 1963.
LIFE RAFT SURVIVORS.
1. AL JOHNS. The Saturday Evening Post November 21, 1959.
2. DANA FRADON. Collier’s March 4, 1955.
3. FRANK BAGINSKI. The Saturday Evening Post. October 26, 1963.
SPEEDING TICKETS.
1. LEONARD DOVE. Look Magazine December 13, 1955.
2. PHIL INTERLANDI. Collier’s May 27, 1955.
3. DON TOBIN. The Saturday Evening Post. April 18, 1953.
BED OF NAILS.
1. BUFORD TUNE. College Humor October, 1937.
2. BILL O’MALLEY. Collier’s June 15, 1945.
3. GEORGE WOLFE. Gags October, 1951.
