Rolling Stones Boston Bomber Blow Up

Rolling Stone magazine has caused uproar across the US after the August issue of the magazine was published last week; featuring Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the front cover. 

Critics argue that the cover photo glamorises an accused killer, who looks more like a rockstar in this image than a terrorist, and some retailers in the US have boycotted sales of the magazine as a result. This isn’t the first time a notorious figure has appeared on the cover of the magazine, after it featured murderer Charles Manson back in June 1970.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick claims ‘the cover is out of taste’, while MBTA Officer Richard ‘Dic’ Donohue commented ‘My family and I were personally affected by these individuals’ actions. I cannot and do not condone the cover of the magazine, which is thoughtless at best,’ he said.

‘I am confident that our Boston Strong community will remain intrepid and unshaken by the cover of this magazine’ says Donohue, who was shot during a chaotic exchange of gunfire with the Tsarnaev brothers following the bombing on April 15^th.

The magazine was also at the forefront of outrage via social media outlets Facebook and Twitter, with accounts publicly tweeting and posting their disgust on the topic. One account posted directly onto the Rolling Stone Facebook page saying 'I shared this on my news feed, but not in support of your magazine, I shared it to show people how low you have gone by putting this terrorist on your cover. Rolling Stone, go and read all the shares of your picture, there are a lot of angry people that you would make such a disgusting choice’. Another account posted saying; ‘this cover makes him look like some kind of cool rock god... it's horrible’.

Despite the public backlash Rolling Stone has received as a result of this controversial cover, they have refused to issue an apology, and have instead attempted to defend the decision to place Tsarnaev on the cover. In a brief statement, a Rolling Stone correspondent said their ‘'hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them.'

'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.'

Both CVS Pharmacy and Walgreens have announced on Wednesday that they would be boycotting this new edition of Rolling Stone from their stores worldwide, together totalling more than 15,000 locations in the US alone. CVS released a statement detailing the decision to boycott the issue, stating; 'as a company with deep roots in New England and a strong presence in Boston, we believe this is the right decision out of respect for the victims of the attack and their loved ones’.

Tsarnaev was captured by law enforcement officers on April 19^th where he was hiding out on a boat parked in the backyard of a house in Watertown. He is currently being held without bail in a federal prison in Massachusetts, having pleaded not guilty last week to 30 counts associated with the bombing.