Rolling Stone Magazine Draws Ire for Featuring Tsarnaev
The American magazine, Rolling Stone, has stirred up a hornets’ nest of controversy by putting a photo of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of its August issue.
The magazine says its article on Tsarnaev was based on interviews with his friends, neighbors, teachers and Boston area law enforcement officials. It describes the story as a “heartbreaking account of how a charming kid with a bright future became a monster.”
In this magazine cover image released by Wenner Media, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev appears on the cover of the Aug. 1, 2013 issue of "Rolling Stone."
The cover photo of Tsarnaev looks like those on many of Rolling Stone’s issues featuring rock stars. Some Twitter users described its use as disgraceful.
“This is unacceptable and a slap in the face for those he killed and maimed,” said one comment on the magazine’s Facebook page.
“I will never buy a Rolling Stone ever again. Disgraceful,” said another.
Tsarnaev and his older brother Tamerlan are accused of carrying out the April 15 attack in Boston that killed three people and wounded more than 260 others. Tamerlan was killed in a shootout with police and Dzhokhar has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Rolling Stone has often stirred controversy with its covers. One of the most controversial came in 1970 when the magazine put serial killer Charles Manson on the cover.
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