I received a thrilling piece of news this last week: I was told I won this year’s Berryman Award from the National Press Foundation. It caught me completely by surprise. There are plenty of other cartoonists who are as deserving, or more so, than me. I’m incredibly honored and grateful to be acknowledged in this way, and I see it as an opportunity to set the bar even higher for myself.
Despite the good news, last week was disheartening for me and other inkslingers. Several incredibly talented cartoonists lost their jobs as a result of their newspaper’s shortsightedness. They join a growing list of people to get the axe this year. It’s sad because it seems like newspaper executives are forgetting what sells newspapers: dynamic, entertaining and thought-provoking content. But the thing that saddens me most is that these cartoonists have families to support and must now negotiate our rocky economic environment without the benefit of knowing when their next paycheck will be. So, yes, I’m happy about the award, but I can’t shake the feeling of loss that comes from seeing good people, good friends, being dealt devastating blows. My heart goes out to them.
