Cartoonist Zoom Rockman Quits Private Eye After Death Threat Over Israel Cover
Ian Hislop, Editor of Private Eye magazine is reflected in a glass cabinet as he stands in front of a wall of the magazine’s front covers. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Cartoonist Zoom Rockman quit satirical magazine Private Eye on Wednesday after receiving a death threat which he attributed to the magazine’s provocative Israel-Hamas cover for its most recent issue.
Taking to social platform X, formerly Twitter, Rockman said: “After 6 years and 137 cartoons published I’ve quit @PrivateEyeNews. Following their incendiary cover of issue 1609 I received a death threat which I made them aware of and received no response.”
Speaking to Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool, Rockman also criticised the magazine’s omission of a letter he wrote about the threat he wanted published in the upcoming edition in lieu of his regular cartoon submission.
In a statement to Mediaite UK, Private Eye said: “We are very concerned that one of our contributors should have received a death threat and contacted Zoom as soon as we found out. We spoke to him at length yesterday. He did not approve of last issue’s cover and no longer wishes to contribute to the magazine. This is entirely up to him but it is a matter of regret for us.”
Private Eye, a stalwart in British political investigative journalism and satire, evoked strong reaction for their recent cover for issue #1609.
The front page of the magazine edition published October 20th was splashed with a “warning” reading: “This magazine may contain some criticism of the Israeli government and may suggest that killing everyone in Gaza as revenge for Hamas atrocities may not be a good long-term solution to the problems of the region.”
It also adapted its name so the title read: “Private Eye for an eye.”
Private Eye’s Israel-Hamas war cover for Issue #1609.
Expressing his feelings at the time, Rockman wrote that he was “disappointed” but said “at least they printed this cartoon of mine on page 28.”
Rockman’s announcement comes as Private Eye posted a peak of its upcoming issue, with headline: “Special Non-Offensive Cover.”
As an artist, Rockman joined Private Eye at just sixteen and contributed significantly since then, even interviewing its long-standing editor, Ian Hislop.
