Spotlight on Public Service Announcement

A public service announcement (PSA) are messages in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge, with the objective of raising awareness, changing public attitudes and behavior towards a social issue. In the newspapers King Features have donated comic strip characters in the form of free, which endorsed causes and organizations that would fight polio, promote buying war bonds or show support of public charities. Newspapers donated free space for these announcements, especially during fund drives.

Defense Bonds illustration

During the World War II, Phil Davis illustratied some ads exhortating to buy government war bonds.

Mandrake the Magician
by Phil Davis

The Veteran’s Administration

The Veteran’s Administration ran PSAs for newspapers (1970 - 1984) using known comic strip figures from. The PSAs highlighted some of the ways the VA could help veterans in episodes of 'So says the VA...