Boycott Rolling Stone Magazine

[justme]

Surprised I haven't seen this anywhere on here. Maybe because it's too disgusting. SMH, not that I've bought the magazine in years but now I never will again.

now.msn.com/rolling-stone-dzhokhar-tsarnaev-cover-criticized

Rolling Stone magazine should probably have foreseen that putting a terrorism suspect on its cover would not be a warmly welcomed decision. Almost as soon as the publication announced that alleged Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would front its next issue, complaints lit up around social media.

The singer of one of the bands I love spoke out about it. I've always loved them because they've always been huge military supporters beyond just good music (well, if you like hard rock ). He sums it up nicely, I hope most of the music industry feels like him.

twitchy.com/2013/07/17/go-to-hell-disturbed-vocalist-david-draiman-destroys-ultra-liberal-rolling-stone-in-epic-rant/

A snippet of the rant:

You…Dare…To…Put…The…Image…Of…The…Boston…Bomber…On…The…Fucking…Cover…Of…Your…Magazine!!!!?
Are you out of your ultra-liberal, sympathetic to a fault, fucking minds You have not only succeeded in blatantly insulting and dishonoring the victims and families whose lives were forever effected by this rabid animal, but you have now glorified his cowardly and unforgivable act.

[Deleted]

Rolling Stone actually has some really good investigative pieces. I haven't seen the new edition, what was the context of the cover picture? Do you know? 

[Peace Of Mind]

I do find it very disrespectful but I don't read that magazine and don't know why they would do that.  Didn't the Times magazine once put Bin Laden on the cover as most interesting person - or something like that?  If I remember correctly there was an out cry over that one too. 

[souldoubt]

Time also had Hitler on the cover when he was their person of the year in 1939.  However, their person of the year is the most influential person not the best/worst person and Time magazine is quite a bit different than Rolling Stone.  Not sure if Bin Laden was on the cover of Time or what context it was in.  That said I don't see any reason to put this scumbag on the cover of a music magazine, good investigative pieces or not. 

[justme]

Jul 17, 2013 13:33:35 GMT -5 oped said:

Rolling Stone actually has some really good investigative pieces. I haven't seen the new edition, what was the context of the cover picture? Do you know? 

Apparently it's a photo that's been used before that he took of himself. If you click on the first link you can see the cover. The caption reads "The Bomber: How a Popular, Promising, Student was Failed by his Family, Fell into Radical Islam and Became a Monster".

Not completely lovey dovey thanks to the end but

[Deleted]

So, the article was by contributing editor Janet Reitman  titled "The Bomber: How a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster."

i guess I don't see it as boycott worthy? 

[Deleted]

But int that a story worth telling? How a normal looking, promising student could go so wrong... Become such a horror.... 

[swamp]

Jul 17, 2013 13:44:21 GMT -5 oped said:

So, the article was by contributing editor Janet Reitman  titled "The Bomber: How a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster."

i guess I don't see it as boycott worthy? 

I don't either.  It doesn't sound like it's too flattering. 

[chiver78]

I put a small rant in an EE rant thread, but that's it. as I said over there, I have no problem with the article itself, but the cover image didn't have to be what it was. why not any of the other article subjects from the issue, or any/all of the victims.

WVU said it best in response to my rant - that using the picture they did is a bit celebratory. IM(not so)HO, it was tacky, disrespectful to the victims, and is going to come back to bite RS. RS is largely an entertainment publication. not their best idea, by a long shot.

[Deleted]

Rolling stone has done exposes on Goldmen Sachs, Zyprexa, oil industry regulation, mcchrystal, ... Etc. They don't always make the cover, but I think you re mischaracterizing it as only a music magazine. 

[midjd]

I fall in the camp that feels that publicizing the wrongdoer just gives rise to more of these types of crimes. If you are a failure in life, you may feel that the only way you can find fame/forever live on is by committing a horrific crime...

Adam Lanza and the Tsarnev brothers are household names now, but who can name any of their victims? Hell, I can't even name a single Manson victim except Sharon Tate. That seems fundamentally wrong to me. Why should the murderers receive eternal notoriety while the victims fall by the wayside?

So I think the cover story is ill-conceived, but probably for different reasons than many others.

(Also - I  Disturbed)

[Peace Of Mind]

Jul 17, 2013 13:45:36 GMT -5 oped said:

But int that a story worth telling? How a normal looking, promising student could go so wrong... Become such a horror.... 

That's probably why they put a flattering picture of him BEFORE he became a terrorist.  To show that he was once normal.  And usually attractive pictures sell - for whatever reason. 

[justme]

I'm not against the article, but did they have to put him on the cover? Especially since it was a music magazine - hasn't been good for a while which is why I stopped reading. I'm not as outraged as others, but just adding this to all the fan clubs the guy has and the by line of "fell into" just made be go "ugh". You fall into a hole, you don't just fall into blowing people up.

[chiver78]

I wish I could karma mid, that's exactly how I feel.

oped, I think you missed the word "largely" in my post.

[Deleted]

Chiver, hat wasn't necessarily to you. I think several people characterized it that eye. I do think it actually reasonable to think that. I don't know that I read it much before the Zyprexa expo came out, but once I started researching, I realized they have a couple of good investigative reporters. 

[wvugurl26]

Maybe I'm wrong but I see the cover as a sort of honor, kind of like you've made the big time. If they want to write an article ok, I know that will happen despite me thinking the less press these people get the better. I'm sure they put him on the cover to stir up controversy and sell magazines. I think they could have made a better decision.

[xia]

I used to love Rolling Stone magazine back in the good old days when it was actually about music and music related stuff. Slowly over time I just stopped buying it, I think the last issue I got was somewhere in 2001 or so. They just need to change their name to something resembling what they are all about these days… it seems to be anything and everything but music.

As for having terrorist on the cover, I find it lame. I don’t see why anyone wants to write featured stories about him, just lock him up and forget about him till it’s time to execute him. For people like him being ignored is punishment in itself, they thrive on publicity.

[Peace Of Mind]

Wrongside - I just read that too and came here to post the link. 

link

[Cookies Galore]

I don't see the issue. Too soon, probably, but no issue with me. Rolling Stone is one of the few publications left that does actual, solid investigative journalism. I think some of you should pick up and issue and see that it's not just a music magazine.
Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, bin Laden, Mao Zedong, and Charles Manson, just to name a few, have all been on magazine covers. I see no issue with the Boston Bomber being the cover story.

[Miss Tequila]

I would say I would boycott the magazine but since I can't recall ever buying a rolling stone magazine it would be a worthless threat....kind of like those boycotting chick file when they have never eaten there or planned parenthood when they have never contributed to them :-p

I'm torn....I would love to know what the hell snapped with this kid to make him do something so horrific. On the flip side I'm pissed that they would put him on the cover which makes him seem like a celebrity

[chiver78]

I just looked it up, Manson's cover was almost a year after the crime. Monday was 3 months after the Marathon.

[Angel!]

Seeing as how Charles Manson was once on the cover, this isn't entirely unprecedented. 


ETA - he was on the cover around 10 months after the murders, but right at the time when the trial began.  And although there is not a trial yet, the first court appearance & his plea just occurred last week for Dzhokhar.

[Cookies Galore]

Jul 17, 2013 14:23:53 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I just looked it up, Manson's cover was almost a year after the crime. Monday was 3 months after the Marathon.

Osama bin Laden was on the cover of Time on October 1, 2001.

[chiver78]

Time isn't typically regarded as an entertainment publication.

[Cookies Galore]

Jul 17, 2013 14:32:53 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Time isn't typically regarded as an entertainment publication.

Rolling Stone publishes a lot of stories on politics, economics, culture, and music. Again, they produce some excellent investigative pieces.

[chiver78]

I said typically. and I said "largely entertainment content" or something similarly worded earlier.

I'm not alone in my opinion, and you are certainly entitled to yours as well. I think it's a very bad move on their part to use that picture on their cover at this time. that particular picture isn't the best one to use if they are trying to present investigative reporting, I think an official mug shot or something along those lines would be more appropriate than a selfie. again, my opinion.

[imawino]

Jul 17, 2013 14:32:53 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

Time isn't typically regarded as an entertainment publication.

I'm having trouble figuring out your stance here.  It's offensive because it's celebratory - then because it's sooner than the timeline of when Manson ended up on a cover - then because Rolling Stone is considered more of an entertainment magazine than Time magazine is to you.    When and on what publication would his face on the cover be okay? 

Personally, I don't get any outrage over it.  It's a big story, they often make the cover.  If it had been buried in the back somewhere someone would be ranting that everyone must have forgotten all about the bombings too soon.

[Deleted]

www.srds.com/mediakits/rollingstone/PressPages.pdf

press release on rolling stone journalism history and some of thir awards... Not sure if it includes the latest Polk ...

[chiver78]

what you just quoted was a direct response to someone else. I personally think this kid has gotten enough "cover time" across the board, and if there's an investigative piece to be published that discusses his downward spiral from the stable HS student he was before he blew up 3 people, it doesn't need to accompany a full-cover picture. lots of articles appear in magazine without making the cover.

[Cookies Galore]

Considering the story is about what the f*ck went wrong with him, I think it's a fitting image to use. It's the perfect juxtaposition between a typical American teen and radicalized murderer.