Newspaper space for political cartoons is shrinking – but we need these artists as much as ever

Guardian Australia has not renewed the contract of political cartoonist Fiona Katauskas, the latest loss in a profession strained by newspaper economics. The Conversation Australia reports that she joins other cartoonists in losing permanent roles as newsrooms adapt to digital disruption. But the piece argues these artists remain essential: in an age of shrinking attention spans, a well-drawn political cartoon distills complex news into one memorable image. Good cartoonists function as court jesters for their readers — building loyalty through sharp satire that newsrooms increasingly lack. Critically, cartooning must be locally rooted; only Australian artists can capture the texture and wit of local politics with genuine edge. AI-generated visuals, it notes, lack the cleverness and subversive punch that make cartoons work. It's a sharp irony: newspapers shedding the one thing readers actually want.

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