In a democracy, the role of journalists to inform, persuade and advocate is critical to having an informed electorate. To inform, to persuade and to advocate might be the job description of an editorial cartoonist.
Editorial cartoons are the signed personal opinions of their creators, similar to a text editorial. They are not illustrations of the news.
Editorial cartoons are created to make a comment about a current event. Their purpose is not entertainment or humor.
Editorial cartoons are printed to encourage readers think about whatever the topic of the cartoon is (the national debt or environmental issues, for example) as part of the process of informing voters and raising their awareness of issues that confront them as they consider current events, political candidates, ballot issues, and other concerns.
The best editorial cartoonists study current events thoughtfully, are passionate about their personal values, and are able to express their social and political ideals with visual metaphors.