CVS Refuses to Sell “Rolling Stone” Issue with Tsarnaev on Cover
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Rolling Stone(NEW YORK) — Convenience store chain CVS is taking a stand against Rolling Stone.
CVS says it will not sell the latest issue of the magazine, which features Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover of its August issue.
The cover has drawn harsh criticism from the online world that it glorifies the alleged bomber.
“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,” the company said in a statement Wednesday.
The cover, often reserved for rock stars and top celebrities, features the 19-year-old teen suspect in a photo taken from one of Tsarnaev’s social media accounts. In the photo, Tsarnaev is sporting shaggy hair and staring intently into the camera.
The headline on the cover reads, “The Bomber. How a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam and became a monster.”
More than 5,000 people have left comments on the legendary magazine’s Facebook page, most denouncing Rolling Stone’s decision to feature Tsarnaev.
In a statement on its website Wednesday, the magazine’s editors said, “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.”
Tsarnaev pleaded not guilty last week to 30 counts associated with the bombing. Tsarnaev is accused of working with his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, to set off a pair of bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, killing three and injuring more than 260 others.
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