Life — December 3, 1925 — page 19: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This cartoon satirizes a newspaper editor's Christmas Day assignment to his reporter. The editor (seated at desk) instructs the journalist to interview impoverished workers ("poor devils") who must labor on Christmas and cannot dine with their families. The editor wants a sympathetic "sob story" for publication—about one column's worth—to boost readership during the holiday. The satire targets journalistic exploitation: the editor cynically weaponizes human suffering for sales while offering minimal aid (suggesting the reporter buy hot dogs from a lunch wagon). The instruction "I won't be able to leave the shop all day" reveals the editor won't personally sacrifice, only profit from others' misery. This critiques both sensationalist journalism and the callous indifference of the wealthy toward working-class hardship during the holiday season.