P PASSI CITY COLLEGE

City of Passi, Iloilo

SCHOOL OF TEACHER EDUCATION

(ENG 119) Campus Journalism

Module 5:
Cartooning & Photojournalism

Module Overview: This module is designed for Education students to expose to the concept
journalism, as well as its definition and attribute are discussed to inform the learners of its
importance.

Module Outcomes:
At the end of the module the students should have;
 expressed their opinion through the use of cartooning
 ability to comment on the news or on an existing issue effectively through cartooning
 familiarized with the Do's and Don'ts in cartooning
 knowledged of the functions of pictures and illustrations.
 familiarized with the proper use of photos and graphs
 knowledged of the common illustrative and decorative forms that appear in campus
papers

Module Content:
Cartooning
Photojournalism

CRIZA MAE C. PADERNAL

Discussions
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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
Cartooning
STUDENT OPINION is expressed in the newspaper through the lead editorial (editorial proper),
columns, letters to the editor, and editorial cartoons.

Cartooning Defined

An editorial cartoon is an editorial page illustration expressing opinion and

interpretation. The word cartoon is derived from two words, caricature and lampoon. A
caricature is an exaggerated description, generally by sketching. It is a pictorial representation
of a person or thing in which the defects or peculiarities are exaggerated so as to produce a
ludicrous effect.

A lampoon on the other hand, is a piece of malicious writing, a personal written satire that
attacks and ridicules.

The editorial cartoon is one of the oldest and most notable items on the editorial page.
The Chinese proverb that one picture is worth a thousand words is applied in order to persuade.

Like the editorial proper, however, the editorial cartoon may also perform any of the
three functions of the newspress - to inform, influence, or entertain.

Editorial Cartooning

Editorial Cartooning it is the process of drawing or sketching pictorial caricatures of a

person or object in order to inform, , influence, argue, criticize, praise and interpret a certain a
certain event or to entertain.

Editorial cartoon

a) It is an illustration expressing opinion and interpretation.

b) It is also called a “wordless editorial”.
c) It may or may not be a complement of the editorial.
d) It serves the function of the editorial and the other contents of the op-ed pages: to
present an opinion on an issue.

Elements of Cartooning

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
 It is to be remembered that the elements of an editorial article apply also to editorial
cartoon, that is, the idea should be a reaction to a news item. The reaction could be simple
information, an interpretation or a form of entertainment. In this manner, the cartoonist, while
he is focused on the idea, must also take into focused on the idea, must also take into
consideration the cartoon itself through the following:

1. Composition - it is the arrangement of all the elements of a good drawing to produce the
desired form and specifications. ( i.e., lines, shades, exaggerations, etc.)

2. Balance - it is the stability produce by even distribution of those elements with respect to the
whole. This is done through contrasting, opposing, and interacting elements.

3. Unity- it is a condition of harmony. It is also the resulting singleness of effect or symmetry

and consistency of style and character.

Elements of Good editorial cartoons

Good editorial cartoons do more than just break up the gray areas of a newspaper.
They should:
 Offer insight, influence and change beliefs.
 Spark discussion, give life to ideas and provoke thought.
 Express the artist’s ideas and thoughts without requiring a lot of explanations.
 Be able to stand on its own and be more than a mere graphic depiction of the editorials it
shares the page with.
 Dwell on subject matters which are current and very relevant to the readers and what
they are thinking.
Characteristics of a Good Cartoon

A good cartoon appeals to the reader's sense of humor in order to persuade him to accept
an opinion. It is an effective social force.

Also, a cartoon, like the top editorial, should deal with only a single idea. While the
subject matter covers a wide range of topics and purposes, the typical cartoon is about political
and social conditions and problems. Some cartoons are good-natured and humorous, others are
serious and sophisticated.

Cartoons in campus papers need not be so professional looking as those found in the
national dailies. Ideas for editorial cartoons may be suggested by the editor, or they may come
from the cartoonist himself. At any rate, the name of the cartoonist is placed in the cartoon, even
if the idea is not his. After all, it's probably harder to draw, than to have an idea.

Range of Cartoon Ideas

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
Cartoon ideas cover a wide range of subjects. Some may be:
a) Inspirational - e.g ., the school represented as a mother taking care of her children.
b) Satirical - e.g ., the embarrassment for having girls wear miniskirts in the classroom.
c) Correctional - e.g. ., problems involving people taking prohibited drugs.

Cartoon ideas must be carefully thought of. Campus cartoonist should ask themselves the
following questions:

1. Will the cartoon hurt someone?

2. Is the cartoon exaggerated?
3. Is the cartoon decent? Parts of the human body should not be drawn in the style of dirty
tabloids. Remember, ours is a campus paper where values and clean living are
developed.
4. Is the cartoon "corny"? Examples are overworked ideas such as knights fighting dragons,
or rescuing a damsel in distress; a student climbing a steep mountain to reach a castle
labeled "SUCCESS", or an erupting volcano labeled "REVOLUTION."

A cartoonist can think of new ways of rendering an old subject in a fresh way.

Suggestions for Cartooning

1. If you decide to use a cartoon, make sure that it is done in good taste, and that it should
say something.
2. Like an editorial, it should deal with only one topic.
3. The purpose of a cartoon is to visualize an idea. Limit the use of words and labels. Unlike
a photo, in the news page, a cartoon does not need a caption. Remember also that a good
cartoon, like a good photo, is worth 10,000 words.
4. You may use symbols like dove for peace, a laurel leaf for victory, or a heart for love. But
be sure that the symbol is universal; i.e ., it is easily understood even by an ordinary
reader. Just as in newswriting "cartoonize" to express not to impress. The message is
more important than the drawing.
5. Be original. Don't plagiarize. Develop your own style.
6. Cartoons, like headlines and caption, may also be sources of libel suits. The pictures and
the bubble may be funny but they should not defame nor expose a person or object to
hatred, ridicule, or contempt

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
PHOTOJOURNALISM

PICTURES, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND IF NEEDED GRAPHS, are very important in newspaper

work. Good pictures aid in the effective presentation of the news. They present the pictorial side
of the event, enliven the makeup or layout and give color and variety to a poorly laid out paper.

Even an illiterate can read a photograph.

Photojournalism is the use of pictures or photos and illustrations for publication. It is

specialized branch for publication, the art and science of photography combined with the
written words. The mere taking of pictures is photography not photojournalism.

The main purpose of pictures in newspaper and magazines are to expand and clarify written
communication, and act as a bait to lure the reader into the body type.

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
 Picture Selection

There are two things to remember and consider when selecting pictures for publications:

1. Technical value - A picture has technical value when it is clear, free from smudges, clear
and not blurred.
2. Editorial value - It has editorial value when it tells a story at a glance, when it shows life
happening, moment of truth and significance - meaning it has news value.

There are five main functions of photos and other images, namely: (1) to attract attention; (2) to
illustrate a point in the story; (3) to tell a story itself through the aid of captions; (4) to tell a
story in sequence with other illustrations; and (5) to give visual relief to the layout.

Characteristics of a Good Photographer

A good cameraman:

1. Should have a working knowledge of his outfit - camera, lens, and film;
2. Should know a little of art and be possessed with a notion of contrast, composition, angle
and shape;
3. Must have a nose for drama, oddity, rarity, action and for human interest stories;
4. Must be acquainted with the important as well as with the notorious people who break
into the news often;
5. Must have diplomacy and tact when covering risky assignments like fires, riots, rallies,
and demonstrations; and
6. Must be acquainted with the libel laws, since libel suits can also proceed from pictures.

Reminders as Regards the Selection, Scaling, and Captioning of Pictures

1. Photo should be cropped tightly to eliminate unnecessary details and to focus attention
to its message.
2. Photo it should not lie right next to a heavily shaded advertisement. It will lose is impact
if it is overshadowed by neighboring material.
3. Multicolumn photos as a rule should be in the upper left- hand corner of the page and
should be displayed without over lines.
4. The crowded, posed photograph should be avoided, unless it has to get in. If you decide
to use it, crop it tightly and blow it up.
5. Retouch whenever necessary.
6. Keep caption short.

Reminders as Regards the Proper Use of Photos and Graphs

1. Action pictures are better than posed pictures.

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
 2. Don't put pictures back to back, meaning two pictures facing opposite directions.
3. Avoid firing line or firing squad or posed pictures. They are dead. Prefer candid shots.
Life is not posed. It is active.
4. If you have to use group pictures, use it big to allow recognition of people in it, unless it
is a crowd scene where the crowd is more important than the expression of the faces.
5. Even a crash scene looks dead with only the plane shown or the train wreck pictured.
People running away from it or people rushing to it for rescue would make it lively.
6. Small pictures are ineffective. Details and impact are lost.
7. Cropping would improve the picture. Cropping means cutting off all that are
unnecessary, those that have nothing to do with the story. Focus the eyes on important
details and eliminate irrelevant ones. For instance, eliminating the body and the other
arms of the speaker to show a clench fist in gesture.
8. But beware of too much cropping. One needs an overhanging branch in the foreground
for better perspective. A man alone in the desert deserved a picture showing the vastness
of the desert.
9. You don't have to include the whole face in a portrait. You can take off the ear as long the
attention is focused on the eyes, the window of the soul.
10. Reverse the negative if you meet the problem of facing in. Facing in means that the
person is looking out of the page. Don't allow this to happen. However, beware of flop
which means that when you reverse the picture, errors will be created. There will be a
change in the position of the parting of the hair, position of moles, breast handkerchiefs
and words in the picture at the background.

Caption Writing
A caption is the text of body type, accompanying photos or art work or any pictorial
illustration. It is sometimes called cutline or underline. The title or explanatory matter above
the illustration is called overline.

Captions should be closely related to the picture so that the reader may be able to take in
picture and caption at a glance. This explains why the caption should be underneath the picture
when there are other materials on the page.

The caption can be at the side when caption and picture are isolated.

Things to Remember
1. All rules in news printing apply to caption writing.
2. Captions should be written in short pithy sentences, say an average of 15 words for a
sentence.
3. The basic questions every caption must tell of its pictures are: Who, What, Where, When
and Why. Who are in the picture? What are they doing in it? When are they doing it?
4. Give the full Christian name or first name to identify everyone in the picture and be
accurate. This is important, but which of course cannot be done for crowd scenes. When
you name people in the caption, make it clear who is who.

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
 5. A gay (happy) picture should have a gay caption. A somber (serious or sad) picture
should not make weak jokes. Match the caption with the mood of the picture. This is a
question of judgment.
6. A caption is Controversial. It should be exploiting the picture potential interest, e.g.,
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Filipiniana dress while Vice President Noli de
Castro in military attire. These should be mentioned in the caption.
7. Captions should supplement what is seen. They are not captions if they merely tell the
reader what he can see. A caption of a picture showing President Arroyo speaking should
not say, "President Arroyo Speaking." See to it that the caption supplements the pictorial
information briefly.
8. The caption should not contradict the photo, e.g ., Boy Scout planting tree seedlings but
the boys scouts are looking at the camera smiling and not planting.
9. Don't begin a caption with "Photo shows" especially if it really doesn't or "In the Photo
are .. " This is totally unnecessary.
10. Don't rewrite the news story as a caption. This merely wastes space.
11. The caption should be intended, say an em or en at each side. Choose a type or font
different from the normal body type, either bold or italics, but be consistent.

The Picture Story

A picture story is the use of a series of pictures with a minimum of words called
caption story. Picture stories are often used in the feature sections and in magazines.

The picture story is also used to illustrate a "how to" article. How to play basketball, for
example, can be best illustrated with the use of visuals. When the primary goal of the story is to
"show" the reader something and not just "tell" him, then the role of pictures become dominant
and words only secondary. In all cases, however, a skillful merging of the two is necessary.

The Caption Story

Most pictures in the feature section and in magazines are explained with a caption story
in essay form. Unlike in news photos wherein the captions is written in short pithy sentences
merely answering the 5W’S, captions, aside from answering the important W's, are descriptive,
narrative or expository.

However, there are pictures that tell a story by themselves. Only a minimum of caption is
needed or even a caption may by superfluous. Editorial cartoons usually don't have captions, but
they tell stories or make a point.

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
 Activities:
Activity 1: 1. Draw cartoons that symbolize the following:

a. World Chaos

b. Education

Addresses Issue- 15
Creativity-10
Originality- 15
Neatness -10
50

Assessment
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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5
Assessment 1:

A recent typhoon caused great destruction - devastating a province (supply the name of the
typhoon and the place devastated) killing and injuring thousands of people, destroying property,
and leaving in its wake unprecedented misery to the people, who now need our help very badly.

As the cartoonist of your school paper, draw an editorial cartoon depicting the tragedy and at
the same time knocking at the hearts of the readers, appealing to them for all kinds of help you
can think of.

Remember, this is not a fine arts contest. What is important here is your message - how effective
it is in soliciting aids - cash or relief goods, to alleviate at least the sufferings of our less fortunate
brethren.

Addresses Issue- 15
Creativity-10
Originality- 15
Neatness -10
50

References:
Khan, R.( 2017), Campus Journalism, Anvil Publishing, Inc., Mandaluyong City, Philippines
Cruz, C. J. (2010), Campus Journalism and School Paper Advising, Rex Book Store, Inc.,
Sampaloc, Manila
Malinao, A. (2005), Campus and Community Journalism Handbook, National Book Store,
Mandaluyong City

*****************************End of Module 5*******************************************

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ENG 119 –Campus Journalism MODULE 5