Columbia University is conducting what it says is, or will be, the largest survey ever conducted on the internet experiences of political cartoonists. The survey is about how and where you publish your work, whether you have been censored, and how often you feel insulted or threatened by other users.
Cartoonists will be asked about their experiences with (self-) censorship and threats on the internet, but understanding that these are sensitive issues, the questions will be generic and closed-ended and will not require detailed descriptions to be provided.
The organisers ask you to share the link to the survey with all the political cartoonists you know in order to try to get a greater volume of responses and to give the study more depth.
The survey will be open until 15 June 2025 and is available in four languages.
This study is led by the Forum for Humor & the Law (FORHUM) and Columbia University's Columbia Global Freedom of Expression. The results will form the basis of a report by Cartooning for Peace, Cartoonists Rights and its partners, to be published in the next twelve months.
This report aims to highlight the prevalence of issues such as censorship, abuse and security threats, and will serve as a credible advocacy tool for political cartoonists, offering evidence-based recommendations to social media platforms, legislators and other stakeholders.
FORHUM (Forum for Humor and the Law) was founded and is directed by Dr. Alberto Godioli (University of Groningen, The Netherlands) and Professor Laura Little (Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Its mission is to serve as a platform for practising lawyers, legal and humour scholars, artists and others interested in the multifaceted relationship between humour, free speech and the law.
Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, founded in 2014 by Lee C. Bollinger, President Emeritus and Professor Seth Low of Columbia University, brings together international experts and activists with the university community to provide quick, easy and reliable access to the best national and international standards for protecting freedom of expression, as well as to highlight legal developments in international and national courts on the most sensitive issues for defending freedom of expression.
On the privacy and the treatment of the data related to the survey, on its website it says this:
100% anonymous and secure: Your answers will be completely anonymous and stored in a secure data drive at the University of Groningen, accessible only to the two principal investigators: Dr. Alberto Godioli (University of Groningen) and Dr. Ana Pedrazzini (CONICET, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina).
All responses will be aggregated and anonymised before being shared with Cartooning for Peace and Cartoonists Rights, allowing you to respond openly and honestly.
At the end of the survey, you will have the option to provide your email address for a brief follow-up interview. Your email address will never be linked to your answers and will be deleted in April 2026. It will not be shared with third parties. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting info@forhum.org.
