Editorial cartoons for fun and education

Editorial cartoons are fun to read and may present to us a different perspective from our own on current events. Lively and topical, they use visual humor to show the range of opinion on a host of key issues, from the world economy and the new U.S. presidential administration, to Reconstruction, to the continuing debate over evolution and intelligent design.

Editorial cartoons and questions are a special feature of the Facts on File World News Digest website. You can read them for fun or as part of a classroom exercise. Each cartoon is accompanied by questions that prompt critical thinking about the meaning of the cartoon, the point of view behind it, or the means used to convey the message. All cartoons are linked to resources elsewhere in the database that help answer the questions.

Recent cartoons cover the 2010 military budget proposal; Iowa, Vermont, and marriage; and Obama's Afghanistan strategy. Cartoons are also grouped by subject:

• Arts, Entertainment, and the Media
• Business, Labor, and the Economy
• Crime and Terrorism
• Education
• Environment
• Families and Family Life
• Human and Civil Rights
• International Affairs
• Judiciary
• Medicine and Health Care
• Minorities and Race Relations
• Politics and Political Reform
• Religion
• Science and Technology
• Sports
• Wars, Weaponry and Military Forces
• Women

Look for the listing of Editorial Cartoons and Questions in the Special Features section on the home page. All Editorial Cartoons are searchable. Also, the Curriculum Tools section of the website contains suggestions for students on analyzing and evaluating Editorial Cartoons, and for educators on how to incorporate Editorial Cartoons into classroom discussion and activities.

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