Much of the media coverage from the day Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured has focused on the shock of people who knew him as a student with a promising future at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. If there were ever a case of good kid gone bad, then Mr. Tsarnaev was it, the reports would suggest. With so much coverage already devoted to the topic, why is there such a heated response to a magazine's report on the same topic? Simple — the latest response includes a previously used photo of Mr. Tsarnaev blown up on the cover of Rolling Stone.
The magazine is known for iconic covers including Jim Morrison of The Doors, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, etc. While the caption accompanying the photo — "How a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster" — makes clear the article's intent, angry Americans have taken to social media and the airwaves to criticize and even call for a boycott of the magazine.
Retailers in the Boston area including CVS, Cumberland Farms, Kmart, Rite Aid, Roche Bros., Shaw's, Stop & Shop, Tedeschi Food Shops, Walgreens and others have all said they will not be selling the issue in their stores. Statements from the various merchants have reinforced their sensitivity to people in the Boston area traumatized by the murderous event.
Tedeschi's Facebook page included an explanation of its actions. "Tedeschi Food Shops supports the need to share the news with everyone, but cannot support actions that serve to glorify the evil actions of anyone. With that being said, we will not be carrying this issue of Rolling Stone. Music and terrorism don't mix!"
As of 7:30 a.m. this morning, the post had 4,699 "likes" on Facebook with a number of comments suggesting the action had earned the company new customers. One person going the all cap route, said she was "A NEW CUSTOMER FOR LIFE!!"
As an explanation, Rolling Stone included a preface from the magazine's editors to the article. "Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them and their families. The cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day. The fact that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is young, and in the same age group as many of our readers, makes it all the more important for us to examine the complexities of this issue and gain a more complete understanding of how a tragedy like this happens."