SPEAK TRUTH TO POWER: DECODING SEMIOTIC IN POLITICAL EDITORIAL CARTOONS OF THE RAPPLER

Abstract

The editorial cartoons of Rappler serve as a bridge for the public to raise awareness, openly tackle controversies, and discuss discourse about the current events of a certain time. This study analyzes the signs and symbols used in the chosen ten (10) editorial cartoons of the Rappler, a Philippine digital media company, in conveying evident and relevant political issues. This is qualitative research utilized descriptive research design. Semiotic analysis was used to evaluate signs, symbols, and their message based on the chosen cartoons in achieving a comprehensive interpretation by applying Peirce’s semiotic analysis approach. The researchers focused on editorial cartoons that mainly discuss political issues that are evident in current situation. The editorial cartoons made by Rappler serve as a vital role for opening discourses and controversies that tackles issues about politics that highly affects the Filipino citizens. These issues include corruption, extrajudicial killings, media fabrication, drugs, abuse of power, being submissive to a neighboring country, impunity, human rights violation, inflation, quality of education in question, plunder, misogynistic government, illegal gambling operation, government manipulation, and incompetent leaders were all discussed in this paper. These political cartoons act as a bridge to address the problems being faced by the citizens. The use of different, but easy symbols and words to show messages in an artistic way which is easier to comprehend without using complex words and lengthy texts. Hence, letting individuals to be aware and spark discourses and controversies can help to aid the gap between the public and the government.