Wanderings – Drawing conclusions
Before I could read more than two words in a newspaper, I’d seek out cartoons. It didn’t matter which newspaper, any newspaper. And not just Blondie, Archie, Peanuts, or B.C., but editorial cartoons. I am a big fan of editorial cartoons. Most are just the right mix of satire, wit, and humour.
When I was very young, I’d run away at my grandpa’s house with his copy of the Brockville Recorder and Times or the Gananoque Reporter looking for cartoons. As I got older, I’d read cartoon legends like the Toronto Sun’s Donato and the Montréal Gazette’s Aislin while at the library or buy copies where I could. I had a subscription to the Kingston Whig-Standard just to see what antics Calvin and Hobbes were up to, and what the editorial cartoon of the day was.
Read the column on my website at: https://phillip.blancher.ca/2024/10/23/wanderings-drawing-conclusions/
Editorial cartoons often reflect a point that needs to be made, that most dare not speak out about for fear of offending. These types of cartoons cut through the hubris of politics and pop culture, and are good reflections of the time. Often they will make viewers uncomfortable and provoke opinion and needed discussion.
For many years I have followed the cartoons of Michael De Adder. An award-winning Canadian cartoonist, his cartoons have been timely and pointed. One of my favourite cartoons by him was in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, where restrictions and closures were filled with confusing and conflicting logic. The cartoon shows the bottom half of Ontario Premier Doug Ford walking towards a “Come In, we’re OPEN” sign, while Ford’s upper half and head are floating towards a “Sorry, we’re CLOSED” sign. The caption highlighted the pandemic double-standard that existed: “Our position has been clear all along.”
Another favourite on the wall of cartoons by my office desk shows a large map of Canada with a big wedge being hammered into the middle of it by alternating strikes from Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre. Both share a speech bubble saying, “You’re dividing Canada.”
A picture is said to be worth a thousand words—I’ll amend that to say that an editorial cartoon is worth double that.
In addition to drawing cartoons occasionally for the Toronto Star and the Washington Post, De Adder was at the Halifax Chronicle-Herald for 30 years. I write “was,” as he was let go a few weeks ago in cuts by the newspaper’s new owner.
The paper was recently bought out of bankruptcy by Postmedia. The new owners used the typical slash-and-burn cost-cutting measures synonymous with its American hedge-fund backers—cutting content and substance that make a newspaper worth reading. De Adder was one of many who lost their jobs. Lucky for him, he long realized that the only way to make a small fortune in this business is to start with a large one, so he diversified with freelance work and has a large online following.
De Adder once wrote online that editorial cartoons are often the canary in the coal mine of an issue—his impromptu dismissal from the Herald rings true.
As careers go, there are some employment sectors that fare better than others for job security. For most, the days of being able to work a job for 37 years and retire are long gone. There are few “jobs for life” anymore. Thirty years ago, high school grads were coached that we may face three to five career changes in our lifetime. I have lost track of my number, but it’s more than five.
More often than not, employment changes happen at a time and in a way that are not of your own choosing—like De Adder, and the thousands of people who have been summarily downsized out of the media business in the past two decades. Very few of us get to go out on our own terms anymore, from the job we love for the job, not the paycheque. Last week, though, one of the good ones got to leave on his own terms.
Cornwall Standard-Freeholder journalist Todd Hambleton officially retired on October 18 after 33 years with that paper. Irish wakes are the new norm for those in media, commiserating over the latest layoff notices and paper closures—but not for Todd. He held on, kept his head down, did his job reporting on sports for most of his career, then pivoted to news and sports in the latter third.
Over the years, our paths crossed many times covering stories. While working for competing outlets, it was always good to chat with Todd at events, exchange the latest news that wasn’t fit to print, and share a joke or two along the way. Professional collegiality, if you will. I will miss catching up with Todd, but am happy he had the opportunity to leave on his own terms. Happy retirement, Todd.
This column was originally published in the October 23, 2024 print edition of the Morrisburg Leader.
Support Michael De Adder’s work on his Substack channel here:
