By: E&P Staff The Chicago Tribune announced Tuesday that it has hired Scott Stantis as the paper's staff editorial cartoonist, filling a position that has been left vacant since the death of Jeff MacNelly in 2000.
"The Chicago Tribune is bullish about the future of newspapers, and so am I," Stantis said in a statement. "The Tribune believes that editorial cartooning is an integral part of that future, and I am therefore thrilled and humbled to be given this opportunity."
Stantis had served as the staff editorial cartoonist for the Birmingham (Ala.) News since 1996. Since 2004, he has also drawn the comic strip "Prickly City," which is syndicated by United Feature Syndicate. The Birmingham News said that it intends to fill the vacancy left by Stantis.
Ted Rall, president of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC), of which Stantis is a member, said in a statement, "Competing with the Internet requires newspapers to showcase their editorial pages and to use edgier, more graphic content. Editorial cartoons are a vital part of that formula, especially the local- and state-issue cartoons that only a staff editorial cartoonist can provide.
"The Tribune's decision is notable since Scott Stantis is respected by his peers as a thoughtful, edgy and daring cartoonist."
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