A vintage printing press lies damaged with red fluid spreading across scattered papers in this drawing dated October 22, 2018. The machine's frame is intact yet the platform is askew and sheets lie torn beneath it. Red streaks run from the press toward the lower edge of the frame.

The image appeared three weeks after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for The Washington Post. Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2. Turkish officials and later U.S. intelligence assessments linked the operation to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The drawing uses the press and blood to represent the direct attack on a working journalist.

At the time, the killing prompted congressional calls for sanctions and renewed debate over arms sales to Riyadh. The Trump administration maintained close ties with the kingdom while expressing concern over the case. Cummings' drawing reduces the story to one stark visual: the tools of reporting rendered unusable by violence.

The composition places the press slightly right of center with papers fanning outward. The red fluid dominates the lower half, drawing the eye to the damage. No faces or names appear, keeping the focus on the profession rather than any single individual. The result is a clear statement on the physical risks reporters face when covering authoritarian governments.