Drawing the news
Year level: 5–6
R9983 'Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde' by Judy Horacek, 1991. With permission of Judy Horacek. Artwork by Judy Horacek.
About the unit
Unit description
In this unit of work, students identify and explain the subject, target, style, symbol, tone and
captioning components of various political cartoons. They recognise points of view, themes and
issues as explored by different Australian cartoonists. Students use digital and traditional
learning tools to creatively and critically respond to situations, people and events as they are
represented in Australian political cartoons.
Knowledge, understandings, skills, values

Students identify, describe and explain the key features of a political cartoon.

Students explain the themes and issues presented in a range of political cartoons and
recognise their points of view.

Students use ICT-based activities and speaking, writing and composing activities to
demonstrate their understanding of political cartoons.
Focus questions

What are the features of a political cartoon?

What themes and issues can political cartoons explore?

Who are influenced by political cartoons?
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
1
Resources
Digital curriculum resources
A collection of cartoons for the introductory student activity:
R10021 'Kevin 07' cartoon by Mark Knight, 2007
R10011 'Jack and Jill' cartoon by Judy Horacek, 1992
R10008 'Nice Day at the Beach' cartoon by John Tiedemann, 2005
R10216 'The Bali ten & eleven' cartoon by Matt Golding, 2006
R9983 'Dr Jekyll and Mrs Hyde' by Judy Horacek, 1991
R10015 'Bananas' cartoon by John Farmer, 2006
R10230 'Stop' cartoon by Simon Letch, 2007
R10214 'Castles in the air' cartoon by Paul Newman, 2007
Internet sites
Information and images

Cartoonist Alan Moir’s site with ten free cartooning lessons: http://www.moir.com.au

National Museum of Australia website: http://www.nma.gov.au (search for ‘political
cartoons’)

Picture Australia website: http://www.pictureaustralia.org (search for ‘political cartoons’)

Interview with cartoonist Geoff Pryor: http://www.nma.gov.au (search for ‘political cartoons
Geoff Pryor interview’)

Interviews and examples of current political cartoons on the ABC TV Insiders program:
http://www.abc.net.au/insiders (select the ‘Talking pictures’ link)

Interview with politician Joe Hockey about the impact cartooning has on the subject and the
target: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘Joe Hockey’)

Interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty about techniques when drawing Australian political
figures: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘Bruce Petty cartooning techniques’)

Interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty about the effects of satire and cartoons:
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘the effect of cartoons’)

Interview with cartoonist David Pope about turning an idea into a cartoon:
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘developing cartoon themes’)

Interview with cartoonist David Pope about the role and influence of political cartoons:
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘the role of cartoons’)

Interview with cartoonist David Pope explaining the process of developing his cartoon ‘The
environmental bandwagon’: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘the environmental
bandwagon’)

‘Drawing the lines’ cartooning competition run by the National Museum of Australia:
http://www.nma.gov.au (search for ‘drawing the lines)
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
2
Online tools and applications

Collaborative audio tool such as VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com

Online survey-making tool such as Survey Monkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com

Online tool to create your own cartoon such as ToonDoo: http://www.toondoo.com

Online interactive poster-making tool that captures image, text, video and audio, such as
Glogster: http://edu.glogster.com
Software

Image editing tool such as IrfanView, GIMP, Photoshop, Picasa, Picnik or Paint
Attached resources
The following learning resources referred to in the unit of work are available for you to
modify, print and use in your own teaching and learning context.
Printable resources

Key elements of a political cartoon

Subject: asylum seekers

Target: Peter Garrett

Symbol

Annotating a cartoon

Survey
PowerPoints

What is a political cartoon?

Caricature

Style

Symbol
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
3
Teaching the unit
Setting the scene
Resources

A collection of cartoons for introductory student activity (as listed on page 2)

What is a political cartoon? (PowerPoint)

Caricature (PowerPoint)

Key elements of a political cartoon (page 11)

Interview with cartoonist David Pope about turning an idea into a cartoon:
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘developing cartoon themes’)

Cartoonist Alan Moir’s site with ten free cartooning lessons: http://www.moir.com.au
Teaching and learning activities
What is a political cartoon?
Break the class into small groups and give each group a different cartoon from the list of
resources on page 2. Ask students to note the ‘who, what, when, where and why’ of the cartoon
and share their findings with the class. Students can verbally report their findings or annotate an
image of the cartoon using an IWB, depending on available resources.
Ask students to work in pairs to answer the question ‘What is a cartoon?’. Pair responses
should be shared with the class. Explain that this unit of work is going to explore a particular
type of cartoon: the political cartoon.
Students visit the Screen Australia digital learning website and view the two-minute David Pope
interview about turning an idea into a cartoon: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for
‘developing cartoon themes’).
Use the ‘What is a political cartoon?’ PowerPoint to discuss the following questions as a whole
class.
What is a political cartoon?
Where do we find political cartoons?
What functions do political cartoons serve?
Have students discuss and describe cartoon 1 (description notes included in the ‘What is a
political cartoon?’ PowerPoint).
Hand out ‘Key elements of a political cartoon’ (page 11). Read through it with the class or
revisit it as appropriate in the ‘investigating’ phase of this unit of work.
Using the ‘Caricature’ PowerPoint, have students deconstruct and analyse different caricatures
of former prime minister Kevin Rudd as an explicit teaching strategy. After all caricatures have
been examined, discuss which is the best caricature. Why?
Have students select an Australian identity. Ask them to draw a caricature of that person and
annotate their drawing, explaining the choices they have made.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Extension activities
Have students visit Alan Moir’s website and complete his ten free cartooning lessons. Students
can select current issues to present in cartoon form.
Assessment
Student responses to annotating a caricature would be good material for formative assessment.
Investigating
Resources

Style (PowerPoint)

Symbol (PowerPoint)

Subject: asylum seekers (page 12)

Target: Peter Garrett (pages 13–15)

Symbol (pages 16–18)

Interview with politician Joe Hockey about the impact cartooning has on the subject and the
target: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au

National Museum of Australia interactive activities: http://www.nma.gov.au (search for
‘political cartoons: interactive activities’)

Collection of political cartoons: http://www.pictureaustralia.org

Interviews and examples of current political cartoons: http://www.abc.net.au/insiders
Teaching and learning activities
Analysing key features of a cartoon
Subject
Class reviews the definition of ‘subject’ as provided in Key elements of a political cartoon
(page 11).
In Subject: asylum seekers (page 12), the teacher can use the first cartoon to explicitly
model a simple sentence structure answer. Students can then work in pairs to closely
examine the second cartoon on the sheet and identify what the cartoonist is saying about
the subject. The whole class can then participate in a short teacher-led discussion about
which cartoon communicates its idea or perspective more effectively.
Target
As a class, review the concept of ‘target’ as provided in Key elements of a political cartoon
(page 11). Then students can view the ‘Satire and democracy’ clip from the Screen
Australia Digital Resource Finder, in which politician Joe Hockey talks about the impact
cartooning has on the subject and the target. (Go to: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au and
search for ‘Joe Hockey’.)
Students use Target: Peter Garrett (pages 13–15) to practise identifying and writing about
some of the key elements of a political cartoon. Teachers may decide, through informal
assessment of students, to model writing about the first of the three cartoons presented on
the worksheet.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
5
Style
Show students each cartoon in the ‘Style’ PowerPoint and discuss their context. Ask students to
select words to describe the drawing style of each cartoon. Then lead the students in a
discussion.
Do you think the drawing style is important to a cartoon?
How might the style reinforce or alter the message of the cartoonist?
Symbolism
Use the ‘Symbol’ PowerPoint to model analysing and writing about symbol in cartoons.
Use the printable resource Symbol (pages 16–18) for semi-scaffolded and independent
work opportunities for students.
Analysing more cartoons
Use the National Museum of Australia interactive activities: http://www.nma.gov.au (search for
‘political cartoons: interactive activities’). This activity looks at the context and the source of
different cartoons and asks students to categorise them according to their focus, style, attitude,
mood, target, symbolism, caricature and scale.
Extension activities
In small groups, students compile a list of what they believe to be effective cartoons. Students
visit the Picture Australia website and use its tag feature to ‘collect’ cartoons. (Go to
http://www.pictureaustralia.org and search for ‘political cartoons’.)
Students can research current political cartooning in Australia by visiting the ABC TV Insiders
program website and viewing the latest political cartooning segment of the show ‘Talking
pictures’. Students go to http://www.abc.net.au/insiders.
Assessment
Formative assessment can occur through informal teacher observation of class discussions and
independent work and also through scaffolding work for students and providing one-on-one
assistance where required.
Bringing it all together
Resources

An interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty in which he demonstrates cartooning techniques
when drawing Australian political figures: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘Bruce
Petty cartooning techniques’)

Annotating a cartoon (page 19)
Teaching and learning activities
As a class, view the Bruce Petty ‘cartooning techniques’ clip from the Screen Australia Digital
Resource Finder. (Go to: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au and search for ‘Bruce Petty cartooning
techniques’.)
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Using Annotating a cartoon (page 19), discuss the cartoon ‘Peak oil’. Focus questions to
prompt discussion could include the following.
Who are the figures supposed to represent?
What are the figures carrying in their hands? Why have they left their car?
What is the car a symbol of? Why has it stopped?
What is the road a symbol of?
Why are there so many signs?
Why do you think the cartoonist has chosen that particular backdrop/landscape?
Drawing conclusions
Resources

Survey (pages 21–22)

Interview with cartoonist David Pope about the role and influence of political cartoons:
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘the role of cartoons’)

Interview with cartoonist Bruce Petty about the effects of satire and cartoons:
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘the effect of cartoons’)

Online survey-making tool such as Survey Monkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com
Teaching and learning activities
Do cartoons influence people?
As a class, view ‘The role of cartoons’ clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder, in
which cartoonist David Pope talks about the role and influence of political cartoons. (Go to
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au and search for ‘the role of cartoons’.)
As a class, view ‘The effect of cartoons’ clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder,
in which cartoonist Bruce Petty talks about the effect of political satire and cartooning. (Go to
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au and search for ‘the effect of cartoons’.)
Writing a persuasive letter
Students prepare a letter to the editor arguing either for or against the statement ‘That cartoons
are harmful to Australian democracy’. Students could illustrate their letter with a cartoon they
source from the newspaper, or with a cartoon they have drawn themselves.
Researching and surveying
Do political cartoons influence people? Using Survey (pages 21–22), students prepare
and conduct a survey on whether people are influenced by political cartoons. Students
could use online tools such as http://www.surveymonkey.com to help them prepare the
survey.
Extension activities
Cartoons and important issues and events.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Do cartoonists try to influence people to support one side or the other?
Here are a variety of ways to investigate this issue further.

Select one cartoonist and over a period of time collect as many cartoons of theirs as you
can about an important current issue or event, such as a federal election. See if you can
identify a particular attitude or opinion that the cartoonist keeps communicating.

Gather as many cartoons as possible about an issue or event from a variety of sources.
Compare the cartoonists’ ideas, approaches and emphases.
Communicating
Resources

Online tool to create your own cartoon such as ToonDoo: http://www.toondoo.com

Interview with cartoonist Geoff Pryor: http://www.nma.gov.au (search for ‘political cartoons
Geoff Pryor interview’)

Interview with cartoonist David Pope explaining the process of developing his cartoon ‘The
environmental bandwagon’: http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au (search for ‘the environmental
bandwagon’)

‘Drawing the lines’ cartooning competition run by the National Museum of Australia:
http://www.nma.gov.au (search for ‘drawing the lines)

Collaborative audio tool such as VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com

Online interactive poster-making tool that captures image, text, video and audio such as
Glogster: http://edu.glogster.com

Image-editing tool such as IrfanView, GIMP, Photoshop, Picasa, Picnik or Paint
Teaching and learning activities
The following three activities can all be used as classroom tasks, cumulative assessment pieces
or extension activities. Teachers could:

ask students to individually complete both task one and three (students could work in small
groups to complete the ‘Talking about’ cartoon task)

select one of the tasks as a piece of cumulative assessment

ask students to select one of the tasks as a piece of cumulative assessment.
Creating a cartoon
Students research the process of creating a political cartoon. Ask them to view ‘The
environmental bandwagon’ clip from the Screen Australia Digital Resource Finder. (Go to
http://dl.screenaustralia.gov.au and search for ‘the environmental bandwagon’). In the clip
cartoonist David Pope explains the process of developing his cartoon ‘The environmental
bandwagon’. They can also read an interview transcript with cartoonist Geoff Pryor at
http://www.nma.gov.au (search for ‘political cartoons Geoff Pryor interview’).

Students identify an issue in the news and note aspects of that issue that they could
comment on or satirise.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
8

Students draft and create a pencil drawing of their cartoon. They scan it into a computer
and complete their cartoon with software such as Photoshop. Alternately, students could
access a cartooning tool online such as ToonDoo (http://www.toondoo.com) to develop their
cartoon and ideas.

Students could enter their cartoon in a student cartooning competition such as the National
Museum of Australia’s political cartooning competition ‘Drawing the lines’. (Visit
http://www.nma.gov.au and search for ‘drawing the lines’ for details about the current
competitions.)
Talking about cartoons
Students could take their finished cartoon, or a cartoon they have collected, upload it to
VoiceThread and create a verbal and visual group annotation of their cartoon. Students could
ask classmates to contribute to the VoiceThread conversation, and allocate a topic or two to
each person. Example topics include the following.

The context of my cartoon

Describe the style of my drawing. Do you like it? Do you think it helps to communicate my
message?

What do you think the subject of my cartoon is? Could I have made it clearer?

Who do you think the target of my cartoon is? Do you think I make a fair point?

Describe any caricature I have used in my cartoon. Are the people recognisable? Is it
realistic?

Does my captioning make the issue easier to understand?

What symbolism can you see in my cartoon?
Share your poster online
Have students use Glogster to create a poster that presents a cartoon they have created and
annotated. Students should use the model provided in the whole class annotation activity in the
‘Bringing it all together’ section of this unit to develop ‘subheadings’ for their poster. This poster
will be displayed in the classroom and through the school website.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
9
Writer: Angela Casey, National Museum of Australia
Some of the content in this unit of work draws on material jointly owned by National Museum of
Australia and Ryebuck Media.
The material in this unit of work may contain links to internet sites maintained by entities not
connected to Education Services Australia Ltd and which it does not control (‘Sites’).
Education Services Australia Ltd:

provides the links for ease of reference only and it does not sponsor, sanction or
approve of any material contained on the Sites; and

does not make any warranties or representations as to, and will not be liable for, the
accuracy or any other aspect of the material on the Sites or any other matter connected
to the use of the Sites.
While the material in this unit of work is not remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act
1968, material on the Sites may be remunerable under Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968. It is
your responsibility to read and comply with any copyright information, notices or conditions of
use which apply to a Site.
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except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Key elements of a political cartoon
Name
Class
Date
There are four key elements that need to be considered when you are responding to and
analysing a political cartoon.
Context is the circumstance in which the cartoon was created. Viewers
Context
need to recognise the context of the situation in order to make sense of the
cartoon. Usually this involves a current situation, but it may also involve a
culturally recognisable element from the past – for example, most viewers
would recognise a cartoon using the figure of the pope, and realise that the
cartoon was about a religious situation.
Subject
The subject of a political cartoon is nearly always a person, event, issue or
idea that is in the news. We recognise what the cartoon is about without
having to study it too closely.
Target
There is always a clear target in a political cartoon. This may or may not be
different to the subject. The target will sometimes be made uncomfortable
because of the way the person, idea, issue or situation is presented. So a
cartoon is usually critical, and at times even cruel.
The style may vary greatly, from the simplest line drawings that present
Style
only the barest details, to elaborately drawn pictures that contain a wealth
of detail. Cartoons usually only include as much as is needed to make the
point clearly.
Style also includes the following features

Caricature: a deliberate distortion and unflattering emphasis on a person’s physical
appearance. This helps give a cartoon its humour – we laugh at the cartoon before we even
look at what it is saying.

Symbolism and visual metaphors: symbols (representing something by using something
else) and visual metaphors (metaphors that use images) are often employed by cartoonists
to express the general through the particular.

Tone: the quality that reveals the attitudes of the cartoonist. Cartoons may be humorous,
ironic, gentle, savage, bitter, wistful, nostalgic, wry, good natured, mocking, sympathetic,
light hearted, etc.

Captioning: written words, such as labels or speech bubbles, are often used to make the
meaning clear and explicit.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
11
Subject: asylum seekers
Name
Class
Date
Here are two cartoons that are attempting to convey the same message. Each does this in a
different way. Both cartoons are about the refusal of the Australian Government to allow what it
considered to be ‘illegal’ asylum seekers to enter Australia.
R10224 'D'ya'avagoodweekend?' cartoon by Bill Leak, 2002.
With permission of Bill Leak. Artwork by Bill Leak.
R10228 'Steel borders' cartoon by Sturt Krygsman, 2007.
With permission of Sturt Krygsman. Artwork by Sturt Krygsman.
What do you think the cartoonist is trying to communicate in each cartoon?
What idea or approach is common to each cartoon?
Do you think that one cartoon has realised or presented the idea more effectively than the
other? Explain your reasons
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
12
Target: Peter Garrett
Name
Class
Date
One of the most important tasks when interpreting and analysing a political cartoon is to identify
the cartoon’s ‘target’. A target could be a person, an idea, an institution and so on. Here are
three cartoons dealing with the same issue. During the federal election campaign of 2007, the
former Midnight Oil singer Peter Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a
shadow minister for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to
have abandoned many of the beliefs that he had once strongly supported.
Complete the summary boxes for each cartoon. Then answer the questions provided.
‘In politics no one can hear you scream’ by Bill Leak, 2007. With permission of Bill Leak. Artwork by Bill Leak.
Context
During the 2007 federal election campaign, former Midnight Oil singer Peter
Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister for
the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to have
abandoned many of the beliefs that he had once strongly supported.
Content
Target
Peter Garrett
Message
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
13
Target: Peter Garrett continued
‘ALP Garrett’ by Peter MacMullin, 2007. With permission of Peter MacMullin. Artwork by Peter MacMullin.
Context
During the election campaign of 2007, the former Midnight Oil singer Peter
Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister
for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming
to have abandoned many of those beliefs that he had once strongly
supported.
Content
Target
Peter Garrett
Message
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Target: Peter Garrett continued
‘The comb-over’ by David Pope, 2006. With permission of David Pope. Artwork by David Pope.
Context
During the election campaign of 2007, the former Midnight Oil singer Peter
Garrett, once a strong environmental campaigner, was a shadow minister
for the Australian Labor Party. He was criticised in the press for seeming to
have abandoned many of those beliefs that he had once strongly
supported.
Content
Target
Peter Garrett
Message
1. How is Peter Garrett made the target of the cartoonists?
2. What critical message is each cartoonist communicating about Garrett?
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
15
Symbol
Name
Class
Date
R10025 'Damn feminists' cartoon by Judy Horacek, 1997
With permission of Judy Horacek. Artwork by Judy Horacek.
This is a cartoon by Judy Horacek about male and female stereotypes in fairy tales and society.
1. What symbol has been appropriated in the cartoon?
2. What comment is the cartoonist making?
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Symbol continued
‘Sorry – the first brick’ by David Rowe, 2007. With permission of David Rowe. Artwork by David Rowe.
This cartoon is commenting on the apology to the Stolen Generations made by former prime
minister Kevin Rudd on behalf of the Australian Government in 2007.
1. What symbol has been appropriated in the cartoon?
2. What comment is the cartoonist making?
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
17
Symbol continued
‘Flappity flap’ by David Rowe, 2008. With permission of David Rowe. Artwork by David Rowe.
This cartoon makes comment on the Rudd government’s attempt to manage the water crisis in
the Murray-Darling Basin.
1. What visual metaphor/symbol is at play here?
2. What comment is the cartoonist making?
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
18
Annotating a cartoon
Name
Class
Date
Look carefully at and discuss the 2008 cartoon ‘Peak oil – why didn't someone warn us?!’ by
Alan Moir.
The sharp increase in petrol prices throughout 2008 gave rise to concerns that global oil
production had reached its peak. Many cartoonists were quick to comment on the increased
price at the bowser and its impact on the Australian public. Others offered a long-term glimpse
into a future without fossil fuels.
‘Peak oil – why didn’t someone warn us?!’ cartoon by Alan Moir, 2008
With permission of Alan Moir. Artwork by Alan Moir.
Using the template provided, annotate the cartoon. Then answer the following questions.

What is the final message of this cartoon?

Do you think it is a fair and accurate representation?

Do you think it is an effective cartoon?
Refer to specific features of the cartoon in your answers.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Annotating a cartoon continued
Name
Class
Date
Subject:
Tone:
Style:
Target:
Captioning:
‘Peak oil – why didn't someone warn us?!’ cartoon by Alan Moir, 2008
With permission of Alan Moir. Artwork by Alan Moir.
Caricature:
Symbolism:
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010, except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
20
Survey
Name
Class
Date
Some people suggest that cartoons go too far and have a negative impact on society and
others say they are a funny way of drawing attention to important issues.
Here is your chance to find out what impact political cartoons have on people around you.
In groups, prepare a survey on whether people are influenced by political cartoons.
When you have agreed on the questions for your survey, you might like to use a free online
survey-making tool such as http://www.surveymonkey.com to format your survey.
Here are some possible questions. You can add, delete or change them after group discussion
to decide just what it is that you are trying to discover, and what information is needed to
discover these things.
How often do you look at political cartoons in newspapers, magazines or online?
Every day/sometimes/rarely/never
Which newspaper/news source and cartoonist?
Name:
Why do you look at them?
Amusement/information/other
Do they influence your opinion?
Always/sometimes/never
Do you always agree with them?
Always/sometimes/never
Do they change your opinion?
Always/sometimes/never
Do you get information and ideas from them?
Always/sometimes/never
What image of politics and democracy do you think they promote?
Generally positive/generally negative/sometimes positive/sometimes negative
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
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Survey continued
How would you rate political cartoons (1–5 where 1 is very low and 5 is very high) for:
knowledge, fairness, accuracy, humour, ideas?
Any other comment?
After you have surveyed as many people as you can you can, analyse your results. To help you
analyse your results, you may need to include some discriminators in your survey such as:

age

gender

types of newspapers read

amount of political news or comments seen.
Make sure you survey a wide range of people.
© Education Services Australia Ltd and the National Museum of Australia, 2010,
except where indicated otherwise
Drawing the news
22