On the night of March 3, the Irvine Conservative Student Union invited Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and UCI alumnus Michael Ramirez to speak to students on topics of politics and journalism.
Ramirez currently works as the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and has also worked at the New University newspaper. As a UCI student, Ramirez majored both in biological sciences and fine arts with intentions of becoming a doctor. However, when the editor of the New University saw some of Ramirez’s artwork, he scouted the young Ramirez to draw political cartoons for the newspaper.
‘[Working at the New University] was the catalyst of my career. So it was a really terrific experience for me. And as a student, when you get a feeling of the real power of journalism, it is a great place to start,’ Ramirez said.
In 1994, Ramirez was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for his work, and soon joined the L.A. Times as their editorial cartoonist.
‘The L.A. Times has been really terrific. I have been given the fortunate division of really having complete freedom to do whatever I want. So they have not limited my creativity. They’ve been really, really terrific about giving me the freedom to deal with issues the way I see it and not really limiting the boundaries of how I send the message. And I think part of that is that Paul Conrad, who is my predecessor, had no taste whatsoever, so we continue that fine tradition at the L.A. Times,’ Ramirez said.
During his speech, Ramirez discussed how the news today is distorted due to all the manipulation and hidden facts.
He argued that all aspects of the story, including the photos and the physical location of the article are manipulated in order to express a certain viewpoint from the headlines.
‘Truth is circumvented with the headlines,’ Ramirez said in discussing how the war in Iraq was not a unilateral effort of the United States as the media had established but the joined forces of 50 nations.
He stressed that newspapers have an obligation to give the truth, and have been failing to give the public news that presents all the facts. He said as an editorial cartoonist, his work is purpose-driven and carefully researched, and through his medium he is exposing the public to what is going on in the world with his own humorous twist.
Throughout the speech, Ramirez incorporated many humorous anecdotes based on his experiences as an editorial cartoonist. From angry phone calls picketed protests and several death threats, Ramirez’s cartoons have an impact on his readers.
The majority of Ramirez’s work is conservative and encompasses a wide spectrum of subject matters ranging from Gray Davis to Arafat.
Afterwards, a Q-and-A with the audience session ensued. One student asked what degree of artistic ability an aspiring cartoonist needs. Ramirez explained that talent is the secondary aspect of the cartoon, and emphasized that the message was the most important element to a cartoon, and a cartoon succeeds in conveying its point if the audience understands the presented visuals.
Third-year economics and political science major ICSU co-chair Ryan Mykita was stunned by the level of hostility Ramirez gets from the readers who disagree with his views. Ramirez said he was glad that he is able to get a reaction from the audience.
‘People ought to be passionate about politics,’ Ramirez said.
To aspiring cartoonists, Ramirez advised that in order to succeed, cartoonists should pick images people can relate to and recognize. ‘I would say that there are so many outlets these days for cartoonists. I can only speak from the view of a political cartoonist. And with the Internet and high profile venues [for] forums USA Today, and New York Times Sunday Edition, there are plenty of places for you to get your work exposed,’ Ramirez said.
‘Analysis and research is the crux of what we do and as long as you do your homework, you love politics, you love analysis, and you do cartoons that are hard-hitting and pointed, I think you’ll find a place out there.’
Fifth-year ICS major David Harpster commented, ‘I think it was the best event that ICSU has held this year and probably will hold for the rest of the year. It’s good to have someone that is not redundant but has a lot of things to say than just the regular hot air.’
Kristopher Augsburger, fourth-year math major, who first encountered Ramirez while reading the L.A. Times in high school enjoyed the event.
‘I have always loved Ramirez. I have been collecting his cartoons for about seven, eight years and actually have half his stuff,’ Augsburger said.
Mykita found the event a success.
‘I thought it went well. I enjoyed the casual, informal tone of the discussion. I particularly enjoyed experiencing the commentary behind his cartoons Mr. Ramirez has made. I won’t lie and say they’re not occasionally over my head. Sometimes cartoons are thoughtful and are more work than I would necessarily would have thought into making a cartoon,’ Mykita said.
Staff Writer
On the night of March 3, the Irvine Conservative Student Union invited Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist and UCI alumnus Michael Ramirez to speak to conservative students on topics of politics and journalism at the Social Science Plaza B.
A former UCI graduate of 1984, Ramirez currently works as the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and has also worked at UCI’s New University newspaper. As a student of UCI, Ramirez’s majored both in biological sciences and fine arts with intentions to become a doctor.
However, when the editor of the New University saw some of Ramirez’s artwork, he scouted the young Ramirez to draw political cartoons for the newspaper, thus starting Ramirez’s career of becoming the ‘Equal Opportunity Offender.’ When asked of his experiences at working at the New University, Ramirez described, ‘It was the catalyst of my career, So it was a really terrific experience for me. And as a student, when you get a feeling of the real power of journalism, it is a great place to start.’
In 1994, Ramirez was rewarded for his work with a Pulitzer Prize, and soon joined the L.A. Times as their editorial cartoonist. Asked about how working at the L.A. Times is like, Ramirez said, ‘The L.A. Times has been really terrific. I have been given the fortunate division of really having complete freedom to do whatever I want. So they have not limited my creativity. They’ve been really really terrific about giving me the freedom to deal with issues the way I see it and not really limiting the boundaries of how I send the message. And I think part of that is that Paul Conrad, who is my predecessor, had no taste whatsoever, so we continue that fine tradition at the L.A. Times.’
During his speech, Ramirez discussed about how the news today is distorted due to all the manipulation and hidden facts.
He claimed that all aspects of the story are manipulated in order to express a certain viewpoint from the headlines, the photos and the physical location of the article. ‘Truth is circumvented with the headlines,’ Ramirez said discussing how the war in Iraq was not a unilateral effort of the United States but the joined forces of 50 nations, several of them unnamed Middle Eastern nations.
He emphasized that the newspapers have an obligation to give the truth, and have been failing to give the public news that presents all the facts. He said that that as an editorial cartoonist, his work is purpose-driven and carefully researched, and through his medium he is exposing the public to what is going on in the world with his own humorous twist.
Throughout the speech, Ramirez incorporated many humorous anecdotes based on his experiences as an editorial cartoonist. From angry phone calls, picketed protests and several death threats, Ramirez’s cartoons have an impact on his readers.
After his speech, Ramirez proceeded to show a series of his work. The majority of his work encompassed his conservative views with cartoon subjects ranging from Grey Davis to Arafat.
Afterwards, a Q-and-A with the audience session ensued. One student asked what degree of artistic ability an aspiring cartoonist needs, to which
Ramirez answered that talent is the secondary aspect of the cartoon, emphasizing that the message was the most important element to a cartoon, and a cartoon succeeds in conveying its point if the audience understands the presented visuals.
Third-year economics and political science major ICSU co-chair Ryan Mykita was stunned by the level of hostility Ramirez gets from the readers who disagree with his views. Ramirez responded that he was glad that he is able to get a reaction from the audience. ‘People ought to be passionate about politics,’ Ramirez said.
To aspiring cartoonists, Ramirez advised that in order to succeed you should pick images people can relate to and recognize. He said, ‘I would say that there are so many outlets these days for cartoonists. I can only speak from the view of a political cartoonist. And with the Internet and high profile venues for forums like USA Today, and New York Times Sunday Edition, there are plenty of places for you to get your work exposed.
Analysis and research is the crux of what we do and as long as you do your homework, you love politics, you love analysis, and you do cartoons that are hard-hitting and pointed, I think you’ll find a place out there.’
Fifth-year ICS major, David Harpster commented, ‘I think it was the best event that ICSU has held this year and probably will hold for the rest of the year. It’s good to have someone that is not redundant but has a lot of things to say than just the regular hot air.’
Kristopher Augsburger, a fourth-year math major, also enjoyed the event. ‘I have always loved Ramirez. I have been collecting his cartoons for about 7 to 8 years and actually have half his stuff,’ Augsburger had first encountered Ramirez while extensively reading the newspaper during high school.
Mykita found the event a success, ‘I thought it went well. I enjoyed the casual, informal tone of the discussion. I particularly enjoyed experiencing the commentary behind his cartoons Mr. Ramirez has made. I won’t lie and say they’re not occasionally over my head. sometimes cartoons are thoughtful and are more work than I would necessarily would have thought into making a cartoon put in making a cartoon that is, so I am surprised how difficult it is making [cartoons] and I am equally surprised how much thought goes into them demonstrated by the couple minutes of explanation he provided for each one. They really do hit the crux of the issue, which is especially interesting given the fact that they are not necessarily viewed as trying to make a political statement by a few people but they are really making a political statement in a comical fashion.’
By Irene Wang
Staff Writer
On the night of March 3, the Irvine Conservative Student Union invited Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist and UCI alumnus Michael Ramirez to speak to conservative students on topics of politics and journalism at the Social Science Plaza B.
A former UCI graduate of 1984, Ramirez currently works as the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and has also worked at UCI’s New University newspaper. As a student of UCI, Ramirez’s majored both in biological sciences and fine arts with intentions to become a doctor.
However, when the editor of the New University saw some of Ramirez’s artwork, he scouted the young Ramirez to draw political cartoons for the newspaper, thus starting Ramirez’s career of becoming the ‘Equal Opportunity Offender.’ When asked of his experiences at working at the New University, Ramirez described, ‘It was the catalyst of my career, So it was a really terrific experience for me. And as a student, when you get a feeling of the real power of journalism, it is a great place to start.’
In 1994, Ramirez was rewarded for his work with a Pulitzer Prize, and soon joined the L.A. Times as their editorial cartoonist. Asked about how working at the L.A. Times is like, Ramirez said, ‘The L.A. Times has been really terrific. I have been given the fortunate division of really having complete freedom to do whatever I want. So they have not limited my creativity. They’ve been really really terrific about giving me the freedom to deal with issues the way I see it and not really limiting the boundaries of how I send the message. And I think part of that is that Paul Conrad, who is my predecessor, had no taste whatsoever, so we continue that fine tradition at the L.A. Times.’
During his speech, Ramirez discussed about how the news today is distorted due to all the manipulation and hidden facts.
He claimed that all aspects of the story are manipulated in order to express a certain viewpoint from the headlines, the photos and the physical location of the article. ‘Truth is circumvented with the headlines,’ Ramirez said discussing how the war in Iraq was not a unilateral effort of the United States but the joined forces of 50 nations, several of them unnamed Middle Eastern nations.
He emphasized that the newspapers have an obligation to give the truth, and have been failing to give the public news that presents all the facts. He said that that as an editorial cartoonist, his work is purpose-driven and carefully researched, and through his medium he is exposing the public to what is going on in the world with his own humorous twist.
Throughout the speech, Ramirez incorporated many humorous anecdotes based on his experiences as an editorial cartoonist. From angry phone calls, picketed protests and several death threats, Ramirez’s cartoons have an impact on his readers.
After his speech, Ramirez proceeded to show a series of his work. The majority of his work encompassed his conservative views with cartoon subjects ranging from Grey Davis to Arafat.
Afterwards, a Q-and-A with the audience session ensued. One student asked what degree of artistic ability an aspiring cartoonist needs, to which
Ramirez answered that talent is the secondary aspect of the cartoon, emphasizing that the message was the most important element to a cartoon, and a cartoon succeeds in conveying its point if the audience understands the presented visuals.
Third-year economics and political science major ICSU co-chair Ryan Mykita was stunned by the level of hostility Ramirez gets from the readers who disagree with his views. Ramirez responded that he was glad that he is able to get a reaction from the audience. ‘People ought to be passionate about politics,’ Ramirez said.
To aspiring cartoonists, Ramirez advised that in order to succeed you should pick images people can relate to and recognize. He said, ‘I would say that there are so many outlets these days for cartoonists. I can only speak from the view of a political cartoonist. And with the Internet and high profile venues for forums like USA Today, and New York Times Sunday Edition, there are plenty of places for you to get your work exposed.
Analysis and research is the crux of what we do and as long as you do your homework, you love politics, you love analysis, and you do cartoons that are hard-hitting and pointed, I think you’ll find a place out there.’
Fifth-year ICS major, David Harpster commented, ‘I think it was the best event that ICSU has held this year and probably will hold for the rest of the year. It’s good to have someone that is not redundant but has a lot of things to say than just the regular hot air.’
Kristopher Augsburger, a fourth-year math major, also enjoyed the event. ‘I have always loved Ramirez. I have been collecting his cartoons for about 7 to 8 years and actually have half his stuff,’ Augsburger had first encountered Ramirez while extensively reading the newspaper during high school.
Mykita found the event a success, ‘I thought it went well. I enjoyed the casual, informal tone of the discussion. I particularly enjoyed experiencing the commentary behind his cartoons Mr. Ramirez has made. I won’t lie and say they’re not occasionally over my head. sometimes cartoons are thoughtful and are more work than I would necessarily would have thought into making a cartoon put in making a cartoon that is, so I am surprised how difficult it is making [cartoons] and I am equally surprised how much thought goes into them demonstrated by the couple minutes of explanation he provided for each one. They really do hit the crux of the issue, which is especially interesting given the fact that they are not necessarily viewed as trying to make a political statement by a few people but they are really making a political statement in a comical fashion.’
the night of March 3, the Irvine Conservative Student Union invited Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist and UCI alumnus Michael Ramirez to speak to conservative students on topics of politics and journalism at the Social Science Plaza B.
A former UCI graduate of 1984, Ramirez currently works as the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and has also worked at UCI’s New University newspaper. As a student of UCI, Ramirez’s majored both in biological sciences and fine arts with intentions to become a doctor.
However, when the editor of the New University saw some of Ramirez’s artwork, he scouted the young Ramirez to draw political cartoons for the newspaper, thus starting Ramirez’s career of becoming the ‘Equal Opportunity Offender.’ When asked of his experiences at working at the New University, Ramirez described, ‘It was the catalyst of my career, So it was a really terrific experience for me. And as a student, when you get a feeling of the real power of journalism, it is a great place to start.’
In 1994, Ramirez was rewarded for his work with a Pulitzer Prize, and soon joined the L.A. Times as their editorial cartoonist. Asked about how working at the L.A. Times is like, Ramirez said, ‘The L.A. Times has been really terrific. I have been given the fortunate division of really having complete freedom to do whatever I want. So they have not limited my creativity. They’ve been really really terrific about giving me the freedom to deal with issues the way I see it and not really limiting the boundaries of how I send the message. And I think part of that is that Paul Conrad, who is my predecessor, had no taste whatsoever, so we continue that fine tradition at the L.A. Times.’
During his speech, Ramirez discussed about how the news today is distorted due to all the manipulation and hidden facts.
He claimed that all aspects of the story are manipulated in order to express a certain viewpoint from the headlines, the photos and the physical location of the article. ‘Truth is circumvented with the headlines,’ Ramirez said discussing how the war in Iraq was not a unilateral effort of the United States but the joined forces of 50 nations, several of them unnamed Middle Eastern nations.
He emphasized that the newspapers have an obligation to give the truth, and have been failing to give the public news that presents all the facts. He said that that as an editorial cartoonist, his work is purpose-driven and carefully researched, and through his medium he is exposing the public to what is going on in the world with his own humorous twist.
Throughout the speech, Ramirez incorporated many humorous anecdotes based on his experiences as an editorial cartoonist. From angry phone calls, picketed protests and several death threats, Ramirez’s cartoons have an impact on his readers.
After his speech, Ramirez proceeded to show a series of his work. The majority of his work encompassed his conservative views with cartoon subjects ranging from Grey Davis to Arafat.
Afterwards, a Q-and-A with the audience session ensued. One student asked what degree of artistic ability an aspiring cartoonist needs, to which
Ramirez answered that talent is the secondary aspect of the cartoon, emphasizing that the message was the most important element to a cartoon, and a cartoon succeeds in conveying its point if the audience understands the presented visuals.
Third-year economics and political science major ICSU co-chair Ryan Mykita was stunned by the level of hostility Ramirez gets from the readers who disagree with his views. Ramirez responded that he was glad that he is able to get a reaction from the audience. ‘People ought to be passionate about politics,’ Ramirez said.
To aspiring cartoonists, Ramirez advised that in order to succeed you should pick images people can relate to and recognize. He said, ‘I would say that there are so many outlets these days for cartoonists. I can only speak from the view of a political cartoonist. And with the Internet and high profile venues for forums like USA Today, and New York Times Sunday Edition, there are plenty of places for you to get your work exposed.
Analysis and research is the crux of what we do and as long as you do your homework, you love politics, you love analysis, and you do cartoons that are hard-hitting and pointed, I think you’ll find a place out there.’
Fifth-year ICS major, David Harpster commented, ‘I think it was the best event that ICSU has held this year and probably will hold for the rest of the year. It’s good to have someone that is not redundant but has a lot of things to say than just the regular hot air.’
Kristopher Augsburger, a fourth-year math major, also enjoyed the event. ‘I have always loved Ramirez. I have been collecting his cartoons for about 7 to 8 years and actually have half his stuff,’ Augsburger had first encountered Ramirez while extensively reading the newspaper during high school.
Mykita found the event a success, ‘I thought it went well. I enjoyed the casual, informal tone of the discussion. I particularly enjoyed experiencing the commentary behind his cartoons Mr. Ramirez has made. I won’t lie and say they’re not occasionally over my head. sometimes cartoons are thoughtful and are more work than I would necessarily would have thought into making a cartoon put in making a cartoon that is, so I am surprised how difficult it is making [cartoons] and I am equally surprised how much thought goes into them demonstrated by the couple minutes of explanation he provided for each one. They really do hit the crux of the issue, which is especially interesting given the fact that they are not necessarily viewed as trying to make a political statement by a few people but they are really making a political statement in a comical fashion.’
On the night of March 3, the Irvine Conservative Student Union invited Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist and UCI alumnus Michael Ramirez to speak to conservative students on topics of politics and journalism at the Social Science Plaza B.
A former UCI graduate of 1984, Ramirez currently works as the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times and has also worked at UCI’s New University newspaper. As a student of UCI, Ramirez’s majored both in biological sciences and fine arts with intentions to become a doctor.
However, when the editor of the New University saw some of Ramirez’s artwork, he scouted the young Ramirez to draw political cartoons for the newspaper, thus starting Ramirez’s career of becoming the ‘Equal Opportunity Offender.’ When asked of his experiences at working at the New University, Ramirez described, ‘It was the catalyst of my career, So it was a really terrific experience for me. And as a student, when you get a feeling of the real power of journalism, it is a great place to start.’
In 1994, Ramirez was rewarded for his work with a Pulitzer Prize, and soon joined the L.A. Times as their editorial cartoonist. Asked about how working at the L.A. Times is like, Ramirez said, ‘The L.A. Times has been really terrific. I have been given the fortunate division of really having complete freedom to do whatever I want. So they have not limited my creativity. They’ve been really really terrific about giving me the freedom to deal with issues the way I see it and not really limiting the boundaries of how I send the message. And I think part of that is that Paul Conrad, who is my predecessor, had no taste whatsoever, so we continue that fine tradition at the L.A. Times.’
During his speech, Ramirez discussed about how the news today is distorted due to all the manipulation and hidden facts.
He claimed that all aspects of the story are manipulated in order to express a certain viewpoint from the headlines, the photos and the physical location of the article. ‘Truth is circumvented with the headlines,’ Ramirez said discussing how the war in Iraq was not a unilateral effort of the United States but the joined forces of 50 nations, several of them unnamed Middle Eastern nations.
He emphasized that the newspapers have an obligation to give the truth, and have been failing to give the public news that presents all the facts. He said that that as an editorial cartoonist, his work is purpose-driven and carefully researched, and through his medium he is exposing the public to what is going on in the world with his own humorous twist.
Throughout the speech, Ramirez incorporated many humorous anecdotes based on his experiences as an editorial cartoonist. From angry phone calls, picketed protests and several death threats, Ramirez’s cartoons have an impact on his readers.
After his speech, Ramirez proceeded to show a series of his work. The majority of his work encompassed his conservative views with cartoon subjects ranging from Grey Davis to Arafat.
Afterwards, a Q-and-A with the audience session ensued. One student asked what degree of artistic ability an aspiring cartoonist needs, to which
Ramirez answered that talent is the secondary aspect of the cartoon, emphasizing that the message was the most important element to a cartoon, and a cartoon succeeds in conveying its point if the audience understands the presented visuals.
Third-year economics and political science major ICSU co-chair Ryan Mykita was stunned by the level of hostility Ramirez gets from the readers who disagree with his views. Ramirez responded that he was glad that he is able to get a reaction from the audience. ‘People ought to be passionate about politics,’ Ramirez said.
To aspiring cartoonists, Ramirez advised that in order to succeed you should pick images people can relate to and recognize. He said, ‘I would say that there are so many outlets these days for cartoonists. I can only speak from the view of a political cartoonist. And with the Internet and high profile venues for forums like USA Today, and New York Times Sunday Edition, there are plenty of places for you to get your work exposed.
Analysis and research is the crux of what we do and as long as you do your homework, you love politics, you love analysis, and you do cartoons that are hard-hitting and pointed, I think you’ll find a place out there.’
Fifth-year ICS major, David Harpster commented, ‘I think it was the best event that ICSU has held this year and probably will hold for the rest of the year. It’s good to have someone that is not redundant but has a lot of things to say than just the regular hot air.’
Kristopher Augsburger, a fourth-year math major, also enjoyed the event. ‘I have always loved Ramirez. I have been collecting his cartoons for about 7 to 8 years and actually have half his stuff,’ Augsburger had first encountered Ramirez while extensively reading the newspaper during high school.
Mykita found the event a success, ‘I thought it went well. I enjoyed the casual, informal tone of the discussion. I particularly enjoyed experiencing the commentary behind his cartoons Mr. Ramirez has made. I won’t lie and say they’re not occasionally over my head. sometimes cartoons are thoughtful and are more work than I would necessarily would have thought into making a cartoon put in making a cartoon that is, so I am surprised how difficult it is making [cartoons] and I am equally surprised how much thought goes into them demonstrated by the couple minutes of explanation he provided for each one. They really do hit the crux of the issue, which is especially interesting given the fact that they are not necessarily viewed as trying to make a political statement by a few people but they are really making a political statement in a comical fashion.’
