Cartoonist Application

The Michigan Daily, Summer 2017

Deadline: Tuesday, April 18 at 11:59 PM

This application is also available as a pdf file.

The Michigan Daily Opinion section is currently seeking cartoonists for the Spring/Summer 2017 term. Cartoonists can illustrate cartoons to accompany columns and editorials produced by Opinion staff writers or can create their own bi-weekly cartoon or comic series. Daily cartoons express some type of opinion or commentary relevant to current events at the University, local, state and national level, or to students generally. Cartoons are a great place to voice your opinion on current events, culture and everyday life. If you think you have the perspective and artistic prowess to make this happen, then this may be the job for you.

Job Description

  1. Producing cartoons to be published once every two weeks.
  2. Cartoonists are encouraged, but not required, to attend EditBoard meetings, which are held in our newsroom at 420 Maynard St. on Monday and Wednesday nights from 7-8:30 PM.

In your application, please include the following two parts:

  1. Part 1: Short Answer Questions
    1. Tell us your background, your major(s), any organizations you are a part of on campus and what work you do for that organization(s).
    2. At The Michigan Daily, we are committed to increasing the diversity (broadly defined) of students working for our publication. Please describe how your interests and background (in terms of culture, race, gender, ethnicity, work and life experiences) would contribute to that diversity and why diversity is important for the Opinion section.
    3. Explain why you want to be a Michigan Daily cartoonist.
    4. Pitch your cartoon series to us. Including why you are interested in the topic your cartoon will be focusing on, examples of how your cartoon will contribute to our campus conversation, and what consistent message your series will articulate to the audience.
    5. Are you interested in creating cartoons that coincide with written columns and editorials (written by Opinion staff writers)? If so, what topic areas would you be comfortable creating cartoons about (ie. political satire, campus life issues, etc.)?
    6. Which medium do you feel most comfortable with? What programs do you have experience with (InDesign, Illustrator, etc.)?
    7. If hired, you will submit a cartoon once every two weeks. How much time are you willing to commit to your cartoon?
    8. What are your two favorite cartoons (one from any publication and one from the Daily) and why do you like them? What do they do well to make people ‘get it’? Please provide a link/screenshot of the cartoons!
    9. Get creative, give us a title and caption for the cartoon below.
              
              Title: ________________
              Caption: ________________
  2. A sample illustration that best exemplifies the type of work you’d like to do for the Opinion section. Please keep in mind that, if you are hired, this sample could be published within the first week of the Summer 2017 semester as an introductory piece for your work. Therefore, it should be something new that you have not yet published.

The application is due Tuesday, April 18th at 11:59PM and should be emailed to the 2017 Summer Editorial Page Editor: Sarah Khan (khansar@umich.edu).

*Please note: upon accepting the job as a Michigan Daily Columnist, you will be required to review all Michigan Daily bylaws and sign a contract agreeing to their terms. The bylaws enforce the Michigan Daily’s ethical standards (i.e. preventing the publishing of libelous, malicious or discriminatory content). All columns are subject to review before publication on those standards by the Editorial Page Editors, the Managing Editor and the Editor-in-Chief. If content does not align with the standards of the bylaws, per that review, the Daily reserves the right to not publish that content. That being said, the writer's voice is the top priority on the Opinion section and we will always work with the writer to have content published rather than not.

Thank you for applying to be a cartoonist for The Michigan Daily.
We look forward to hearing all you have to say!