Twitter found a new villain today: Rolling Stone magazine.
The magazine selected Dzhokhar Tsarnaev for the cover of its July 19 issue, which many on the Internet found offense at. Rolling Stone's Facebook post linking to the article received thousands of comments from angry and annoyed readers, many of whom discussed boycotting the publication.
Many reacted fervently on Twitter, too.
@RollingStone #shame on you for putting this person on your magazine cover. The only people that should be there are the victims. #disgust
— Kevin Williams (@KevinWilliams45) July 17, 2013
Welcome to America where you can blow up a street of people and we'll write an exposé on your life and put you on the cover of @RollingStone
— Future Fiancée (@FutureFiancee) July 17, 2013
Question @rollingstone: If this guy had bombed your magazine headquarters too, would you still have him on the cover of your mag? #waytogo!
— Gustavo Iglesias (@gustavoigl) July 17, 2013
Celebrities chimed in with disapproval:
wow. @RollingStone decided to put the Boston bomber on its cover. So now he's a rockstar?? I'm sure the victims are loving that. #Pathetic
— OneRepublic (@OneRepublic) July 17, 2013
Really @RollingStone ? Wtff!!! pic.twitter.com/kpAPZKt3Oc
— T O M M Y L E E (@MrTommyLand) July 17, 2013
Shame on you @RollingStone for glorifying a monster!
— Kelly Osbourne (@KellyOsbourne) July 17, 2013
Then, a letter surfaced from Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to Rolling Stone, expressing his disapproval.
.@mayortommenino to @RollingStone: "The survivors of the Boston attacks deserve Rolling Stone cover stories..." pic.twitter.com/SPgTuERhI0— NowThis News (@nowthisnews) July 17, 2013
The cover caused enough of an uproar that several retailers -- CVS Pharmacy and Roche Bros. -- refused to stock the issue.
We have decided to not sell the current issue of Rolling Stone, out of respect for the victims and their loved ones.
— CVS/pharmacy (@CVS_Extra) July 17, 2013
When we learned of the cover for the current issue of Rolling Stone, we chose not to offer that product for sale in our stores. Thank you.
— Roche Bros. (@Roche_Bros) July 17, 2013
Not all the conversation around the cover was negative. Many users defended the Rolling Stone cover by citing precedents of terror suspects on magazine covers in the past.
Rolling Stone objections: Baseless. http://t.co/PB6DimsfBm
— ErikWemple (@ErikWemple) July 17, 2013
As a longtime Rolling Stone subscriber, I can say *this* truly was the worst cover #racist #whosefaultisit #1999 pic.twitter.com/ajNKVGsj1s
— Camille Dodero (@camilledodero) July 17, 2013
Were people outraged when Manson was on the cover of Rolling Stone? pic.twitter.com/woOJA3NUL3
— Anthony De Rosa (@AntDeRosa) July 17, 2013
It's also not the first time big publications have ran with controversial covers. In fact, the New York Times ran the exact image on its front page in May.
RT @peterfhart That 'outrageous' Rolling Stone Dzhokhar Tsarnaev cover photo was the NY Times front pg back in May. pic.twitter.com/DrUWFh1z9i
— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) July 17, 2013
A visual history of terrible people on magazine covers. (We're looking at you, Stalin!) http://t.co/ne3FfjfXkQ #RollingStone #Tsaernev
— The New Republic (@tnr) July 17, 2013
The article is an insightful and well-researched look into the man who has become a familiar face not only in Boston, but across the United States. It delves into Tsarnaev's background and possible motivations.
The magazine issued a statement above the article, which read:
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. –THE EDITORS
What do you think of Rolling Stone's cover? Do you find it offensive? Let us know in the comments.