10/25 Page Set-up

Here's the work that I did on the blog yesterday. Let me know if you think anything needs to be changed, adjusted, fixed or added. Also, if anyone needs help on anything let me know and I'd be glad to assist!

Introduction

Welcome to the Cooper's Troop blog on Gay Marriage -- where all false misconceptions on
the issue will be dissolved and truth will be revealed, through the depiction and analysis of
 editorial cartoons.

Why Gay Marriage?

Our group decided to do our project on gay marriage because it was a topic that we had all heard about but didn't know the facts on. As a topic, it caught our interest because of the heated debate following it in the United States. For this project we decided to take the many different subjects that gay marriage entails (such as: religion and gay marriage, proposition 8, national gay marriage hot spots, and international gay marriage policies), find the facts on these issues, and analyze how each subject is portrayed through editorial cartoons.

Mission Statement

To bring to light the truths about gay marriage and to help viewers better understand
 the tools used by editorial cartoonists in their drawings to represent an opinion.

Important Things to Understand

Before proceeding to the rest of the blog, here's a few things that you should know:

Media Effects Theories

1. Framing: a theory used by the media to present information to viewers in a certain "framed" way in order to effect the audience's way of thinking about a certain issue. Framing includes adding emphasis to certain things, leaving details out, and can be used to develop a person/organization's biased agenda. However, in the case of editorial cartoons, framing is an acceptable tool as it expresses a certain opinion on an issue. Because the frame of the picture is limited, as viewers, we must think about not only the message and opinion being portrayed, but also the context surrounding the issue - What is going on in this situation? Who and what are being portrayed in what particular way? What are the actual facts? Without all the facts, either in a cartoon or a news story, framing can cause biased misconceptions about topics that hinder our ability to think critically about both sides of an issue before making a judgement. This is why understanding framing is so important and vital to our project.

2. Cultivation: the theory that a stable set of images portrayed throughout the media have a long term effect on the way we see the world, because of how media frame an issue. With editorial cartoons, this isn't too much of a problem because there are many different cartoonists, each with their own opinion. However, cultivation could affect a person in that it could result in biased opinion if only cartoons were looked at without any outside context.

Understanding the Basics of Editorial Cartoons

1. Humor: The use of wit, satire and humor to convey meaning in a cartoon should be understood. Almost all cartoons without fail use some sort of humor in their cartoons. Depicted images and words in cartoons, therefore, should not be taken seriously. Rather the viewer should ask why humor is being used and in what way to convey what meaning. This will help unveil what the artist is actually trying to say not only about the issue, but also about people in our society.

2. Fact: While editorial cartoons depict opinion in a comedic manner, they must still be based on fact so as not to present false information. It is these facts that readers must know in order to understand the opinion expressed in the cartoon.

3. Inform: Editorial cartoons must encourage critical thinking and try to inform readers. They are not only for pleasure. In order to fully understand editorial cartoons, the reader must look beyond the comedic content and understand what message the artist is really trying to convey. The underlying message can be revealed by analyzing what type of humor is being used and for what purpose. What meaning lies beyond the humor and why is such humor used? What people/places/things/ are depicted and why are they depicted that way? What is the background for this issue and how is it depicted in the cartoon? If the editorial cartoon does not raise such questions as well as provide factual, informational content with a comical aspect to it, the cartoon is ineffective.

Keep this in mind as you tour the rest of our blog and enjoy!