symboliamag:

We’re so proud and so excited to announce that Susie Cagle, a contributor to Symbolia’s preview issue, has joined Grist as an illustrator and reporter. (The above picture was drawn by Grist’s staff to welcome Susie aboard.)

As Matt Bors points out, it is an incredible, awesome, totally rad thing for a news organization to hire someone to write, report, and illustrate the news. Comics and illustrations are ideal mechanisms for breaking down complicated stories. For a publication focused on the environmental movement, this kind of editorial strategy is incredibly important. Think of all the great science reporting that’s going to come of this! We at Symbolia HQ cannot wait to see what they’ve got in store. 

More from Matt:

It’s always been an uphill climb for those of us working in this field to justify ourselves as more than a novelty and on equal footing with those who write for a living. And there’s not a lot of good news. We’re pretty far into the internet age not to have any real staff editorial cartoonists, for example. Hopefully Cagle’s job at Grist can help normalize the idea that comics are things people like to read – and that editors can spend money on.

Congrats again, Susie and Grist!