BOSTON – Even before it
hits newsstands today, the Aug. 1 issue of Rolling Stone has triggered
controversy with the announcement that several national and regional retailers
won’t carry the magazine, Marketing Daily reports.
CVS, Walgreens, Tedeschi
Food Shops, Rutter’s and Cumberland Farms are some of the retailers
refusing to stock the issue because of the cover photo of Boston Marathon
bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The retailers said they view the cover shot
as glorifying Tsarnaev by giving his photo such prominence.
While the article itself
appears to be an in-depth look at how the young man turned to such violence,
retailers view the photo cover as not in good taste. On its Facebook page,
Rutter’s said, “We will be pulling the recent issue of Rolling Stone with the
alleged Boston bomber from our magazine racks out of respect for the victims of
the attack and their loved ones.”
“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,” read part of the company’s
statement about its decision. “With that being said, we will not be carrying
this issue of Rolling Stone. Music and terrorism don’t mix!”
Rolling Stone’s response
to the boycott did little to alleviate the concerns expressed by retailers: “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.”