Did Rolling Stone Really Just Do That ?

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Bostonians upset by the new Rolling Stone cover -- featuring Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- need to grow up and learn from the tragedy that rocked their city ... according to the magazine's editors.

The editors just released a statement, saying their hearts go out to the Boston bombing victims -- but "the cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's longstanding commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage."

The statement continues, "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."

In other words, stop burying your heads in the sand, people.

As we reported, CVS and the Boston-based Roche Bros. supermarkets have boycotted the latest issue of the magazine because of its controversial cover ... saying it's disrespectful to the victims.
 
Bostonians upset by the new Rolling Stone cover -- featuring Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- need to grow up and learn from the tragedy that rocked their city ... according to the magazine's editors.

The editors just released a statement, saying their hearts go out to the Boston bombing victims -- but "the cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's longstanding commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage."

The statement continues, "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."

In other words, stop burying your heads in the sand, people.

As we reported, CVS and the Boston-based Roche Bros. supermarkets have boycotted the latest issue of the magazine because of its controversial cover ... saying it's disrespectful to the victims.

People are stupid... his was already everywhere... if this were Time, no one would care... ****, I'm sure Jay-Z fans are more peeved than most...
 
roll.gif
 at "Jay-Z's Magna Carta Stumble

[camron voice] How you forty years old and still flopping?!]
 
lol at rolling stone glamorizing that kid...

some crazy kids gona see that and be like, "
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and he made the cover of rolling stone too?!" and start saving up for a machine gun...  smh
 
soft @#$ people these days. Clearly RS is supporting his actions with that caption...
 
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They probably did it for attention. I understand why people would be mad

and what happened with jay-z?
 
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We need to stop tossing the word sensitive around. Extremely poor decision by Rolling Stone, not because it is tasteless, but because they are glorifying Tsarnaev by putting him on the cover. The fame and publicity is why people like him commit acts like this, the Aurora theater shooting and Sandy Hook. The media falls for the trap every single time by giving these people the airtime they want. Someone out there saw this today and got motivation from it.
 
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I agree they probably would have been best served not putting his giant mug on the cover but this also is nothing new....Manson was on the cover during his run, OJ, McVeigh, Bin Laden, etc were all on TIME covers. These are news publications and Rolling Stone has pushed the hot button issues more than most. They didn't put "Free this Man." They put "How this man became a monster."
 
I agree they probably would have been best served not putting his giant mug on the cover but this also is nothing new....Manson was on the cover during his run, OJ, McVeigh, Bin Laden, etc were all on TIME covers. These are news publications and Rolling Stone has pushed the hot button issues more than most. They didn't put "Free this Man." They put "How this man became a monster."

I'm with you....the OJ TIME cover actually had him with the mugshot card underneath BEFORE his trial even occurred, so what image were they trying to convey? I was a lot younger but the Columbine pic had them as innocent looking high schoolers and said "what went wrong". Was there outrage about that? I don't think it is tasteful at all, but the article isn't framing him as a hero it clearly says 'monster'. Could they have put him on there in any way whatsoever without outrage though? I think they should have run a cover with pics of the victims or something, but I get what they're trying to do, mostly publicity, but this is standard protocol it seems for tragedies in this country. I think Rolling Stone gets more outrage since they're not purely a news outlet? But keep in mind they were also the ones who ran the story on Gen. McChrystal which brought him down too.

I completely understand the outrage though, it does sort of seemingly paint him as some sort of "celebrity" in a way, even though the words tell you otherwise. But isn't that the point of their story, a seemingly normal americanized kid who suddenly adopts radical views and goes on to ruin countless lives and families?

Did people expect a picture of him with an AK and in stereotypical "extremist" garb? The story is about him turning into a despicable person who would commit such an atrocity. Maybe they could've used the pic of him in the hospital or something, but I think they're going for (at least my interpretation) a semi controversial stance with him appearing like a normal, regular kid, and maybe deflecting away from the typical image and criteria most would think of when they hear terrorist, etc. Like its not "offensive enough" and makes people uncomfortable since hes not "the perceived THEM" in some peoples eyes. The picture kinda fits with their story though to be honest

But all it takes is reading the subheading on it to see that this isn't glorifying him, it doesn't even have his name on there. Plus the New York Times used the same picture on the back cover as well.

EDIT: Apparently TIME faced similar outrage for altering an image and drawing a conclusion prior to it happening for the OJ thing, so I'm gonna say they did it primarily to sell magazines, not the first time publications have done it and wont be the last time they do.
 
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http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2013/07/17/boston-mayor-tom-menino-letter-to-rolling-stone-2/
Dear Mr. Wenner,

Your August 3 cover rewards a terrorist with celebrity treatment. It is ill-conceived, at best, and re-affirms a terrible message that destruction gains fame for killers and their "causes". There may be valuable journalism behind your sensational treatment, though we can't know because almost all you released is the cover.

To respond to you in anger is to feed into your obvious marketing strategy. So, I write to you instead to put the focus where you could have: on the brave and strong survivors and on the thousands of people - their family and friends, volunteers, first responders, doctors, nurses, and donors - who have come to their side. Among those we lost, those who survived, and those who help carry them forward, there are artists and musicians and dancers and writers. They have dreams and plans. They struggle and strive. The survivors of the Boston attacks deserve Rolling Stone cover stories, though I no longer feel that Rolling Stone deserves them.

Sincerely,

Thomas. M. Menino
Mayor of Boston
 
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http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2013/07/17/boston-mayor-tom-menino-letter-to-rolling-stone-2/


Dear Mr. Wenner,
Your August 3 cover rewards a terrorist with celebrity treatment. It is ill-conceived, at best, and re-affirms a terrible message that destruction gains fame for killers and their "causes". There may be valuable journalism behind your sensational treatment, though we can't know because almost all you released is the cover.
To respond to you in anger is to feed into your obvious marketing strategy. So, I write to you instead to put the focus where you could have: on the brave and strong survivors and on the thousands of people - their family and friends, volunteers, first responders, doctors, nurses, and donors - who have come to their side. Among those we lost, those who survived, and those who help carry them forward, there are artists and musicians and dancers and writers. They have dreams and plans. They struggle and strive. The survivors of the Boston attacks deserve Rolling Stone cover stories, though I no longer feel that Rolling Stone deserves them.

Sincerely,

Thomas. M. Menino

Mayor of Boston

Really great response by the mayor :smokin

I will say though maybe this is still too close to home for some if the victims families and first responders to speak and give a story? There's obviously no timeline there on when they could write it and those stories need to be told WAY more than the bomber but the piece seems to be trying to display how someone who appeared to be your everyday teen/young adult could fall into that, which is an interesting story in a different light. He doesn't deserve celebrity so maybe they could've used a diff photo like him shot or even the surveillance image, but the picture seems to fit their story there. I think they could have investigated and checked if victims families want to come forward and feature an entire cover on them first. And maybe do a later story on this once they had already spoken about the victims and those who were lost senselessly in the terror act and told their stories.
 
We need to stop tossing the word sensitive around. Extremely poor decision by Rolling Stone, not because it is tasteless, but because they are glorifying Tsarnaev by putting him on the cover. The fame and publicity is why people like him commit acts like this, the Aurora theater shooting and Sandy Hook. The media falls for the trap every single time by giving these people the airtime they want. Someone out there saw this today and got motivation from it.
yup, bess belee 
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 some guy or girl teetering on the brink of, 'should i,' or 'shouldn't i,' just saw this cover like it was a sign of whatever they worship and are gonna go ahead with the plan they prolly done put together years ago.  we need to do what they do over there in germany and squash that noise before it even gets started.  criminals names aren't even put in the news over there, they just throw the sorry ***** in a cold cell somewhere, throw away the key and the world keeps turning.  i can't believe this kid is on rolling stone in place of someone who actually matters and has done good in this world.  actually, it's rolling stone so i can believe it.
 
i guess its ok if they wanna explore the boston bombing story, but the only problem i have is the casual nature of the picture. they could have at least used a picture of him handcuffs or in court, just something to say that this dude shouldnt be glorified 
 
Bostonians upset by the new Rolling Stone cover -- featuring Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev -- need to grow up and learn from the tragedy that rocked their city ... according to the magazine's editors.

The editors just released a statement, saying their hearts go out to the Boston bombing victims -- but "the cover story we are publishing this week falls within the traditions of journalism and Rolling Stone's longstanding commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage."

The statement continues, "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."

In other words, stop burying your heads in the sand, people.

As we reported, CVS and the Boston-based Roche Bros. supermarkets have boycotted the latest issue of the magazine because of its controversial cover ... saying it's disrespectful to the victims.

People are stupid... his was already everywhere... if this were Time, no one would care... ****, I'm sure Jay-Z fans are more peeved than most...

Antidope sitting there like...

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The Real Face of Terror: Behind the Scenes Photos of the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Manhunt

In response to the controversial Rolling Stone cover, new photos of Tsarnaev’s capture emerge.


The Rolling Stone cover featuring the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has, of course, set off a firestorm of controversy across the country. Critics believe that the cover glamorizes Tsarnaev, depicting him as a kind of rock ‘n roll outlaw rather than a terrorist who has been charged with killing four people and seriously wounding hundreds of others.

Sgt. Sean Murphy, a tactical photographer with the Massachusetts State Police who has photographed the funerals of many officers killed in the line of duty, is furious with the magazine. Murphy, who also acts a liaison to the families of fallen officers, is so angered by the cover—which he says is both dangerous and insulting to the victims of the bombings—that he feels the need to counter the message that it conveys.

Here, in his own words, Murphy shares his thoughts on the Rolling Stone cover. He stresses that he is speaking strictly for himself and not as a representative of the Massachusetts State Police:

“As a professional law-enforcement officer of 25 years, I believe that the image that was portrayed by Rolling Stone magazine was an insult to any person who has every worn a uniform of any color or any police organization or military branch, and the family members who have ever lost a loved one serving in the line of duty. The truth is that glamorizing the face of terror is not just insulting to the family members of those killed in the line of duty, it also could be an incentive to those who may be unstable to do something to get their face on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

“I hope that the people who see these images will know that this was real. It was as real as it gets. This may have played out as a television show, but this was not a television show. Officer **** Donohue almost gave his life. Officer Sean Collier did give his life. These were real people, with real lives, with real families. And to have this cover dropped into Boston was hurtful to their memories and their families. I know from first-hand conversations that this Rolling Stone cover has kept many of them up—again. It’s irritated the wounds that will never heal—again. There is nothing glamorous in bringing more pain to a grieving family.

“Photography is very simple, it’s very basic. It brings us back to the cave. An image like this on the cover of Rolling Stone, we see it instantly as being wrong. What Rolling Stone did was wrong. This guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.”

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