Culture

What It’s Like To Be A Political Cartoonist For The Chinese State

Could you express your political views if you worked for a repressive government?

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

Last week several major Australian news outlets, including Fairfax and Sky News, signed an agreement with a number of Chinese state-owned media outlets to share content, raising concerns about press freedom and the increasing reach of Chinese propaganda in Australian media.

In light of that news, cartoonist Wes Mountain sat down with Luo Jie, the deputy chief of the China Daily’s Art section, to get his perspective on what it’s like being a political cartoonist in an authoritarian regime, and to ask of genuine political expression is possible at a state-run media outlet.

Also it’s in cartoon form, so that’s fun.

Panel 1 Panel 2
Panel 3 Panel 4 Panel 5 Panel 6
Panel 7 Panel 8 Panel 9 (1) Panel 10
Panel 11 Panel 12 Panel 13 Panel 14 Panel 15 Panel 16 Panel 17

Wes Mountain is a Melbourne-based cartoonist, journalist and podcaster.