Crafted by hand: an analysis of how the readers negotiate the meaning of messages portrayed in the press political cartons

Abstract

Within the context of debates concerning the impact of media on audiences, this study investigates how the readers interpret messages embedded in editorial cartoons. It further examines the different factors which influence the readers’ acceptance or rejection of preferred readings encoded in these illustrations. The theoretical basis of this research is Stuart Hall’s encoding and decoding theory (1973). The study employed semiotics in the analysis of how the cartoonist uses signs and symbols to present social-political issues. The data for the study was collected through in-depth interviews into how the readers negotiate the meaning of messages portrayed in editorial cartoons by Chris Ogon published in the Daily Monitor newspaper. The findings indicate that the readers’ interpretation of editorial cartoons was informed by their lived experiences as well as pre-existing knowledge about political events. Based on the findings it can be deduced that the readers are active players in the communication system with the ability to produce meaning under definitive conditions in particular contexts.