Exciting news!
Hi there, beloved friends/supporters/cartoonistas,
Straight to the point: I’m about to start a JSK Journalism Fellowship at Stanford!
What is that, you ask?
The fellowship is all about “empowering and defending global innovators in journalism.”
Thankfully, you’ve been empowering and defending a certain cartoonist innovator for years — and now the great folks at the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship are here to help as well!
I am SO honored and thrilled that they are giving me the chance to expand and improve upon this strange and powerful form of visual journalism.
Additionally, I can’t believe the incredible people who will be my fellow fellows and can’t wait to meet them and report back to you here.
What is the JSK Fellowship?
The short version is that it is whatever you make of it!
JSK fellows are essentially given the keys to the Stanford University kingdom and can take any class they’d like, meet with professors, network, clear their head, invent new things, imagine new ventures and generally give themselves and their corner of the journalism world a reboot.
Fellows are tasked with addressing a “challenge” in journalism.
My challenge statement is this:
How can we connect visual commentary and illustrated satire to a wider audience — and amplify the positive societal impact of this vital part of journalism?
“Challenge” is an understatement.
As you’ve heard me mention here, times are tough for visual satire.
Since I applied for the fellowship, times have gotten even tougher for opinion, commentary and satire.
And not just for little fish like me.
A little over a month ago, The Daily Show pulled its on-the-ground coverage of the Republican National Convention following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump because of “logistical issues.”
Similarly, MSNBC’s Morning Joe was silenced immediately following the shooting for fear the hosts or guests would say something the network would regret.
After 127 years or so, the New York Times announced it would no longer endorse candidates for any office outside of president of the United States.
But remember, it’s not all doom and gloom!
Cartoons, visual satire and graphic commentary are incredibly powerful and can connect with people in an instant and help them understand complicated issues in a much more accessible way.
It seems to me we need much more — not less — of that right now, don’t you think?
I’ll share my Stanford fellowship journey with you here on Substack — in cartoon and written form — as we dive further into cartoons, animation and journalism . . . together!
Keep your eyes peeled for more posts and thank you so much for your ongoing support!
-Mark
Congratulations!! Well deserved.
(And for me, I think it's time for some new glasses. I really thought you wrote "I'm going to Starfleet". Or maybe I need to wean myself off of Star Trek for a while.)
Thank you so much for all your kind congratulations and suggestions! I can't wait to update you on all the exciting (and probably weird also) things I experience at Stanford. I'll keep you in the loop and promise not to join a fraternity.