Business & Tech
Hopkins CVS, Walgreens Won't Have 'Boston Bomber' Edition of Rolling Stone
Photo glorifies accused terrorist, critics say.
Looking for this month's edition of Rolling Stone? Don't try the Hopkins CVS or the Hopkins Walgreens.
Wednesday, the Rhode Island-based drug store chain announced it wouldn't be carrying the July edition of the magazine due to the cover photo of accused Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
Taken from one of Tsarnaev's social media profiles, the photo shows Tsarnaev looking more like an indie rock star than the person police and prosecutors say helped kill three spectators at this year's Boston Marathon and one police officer as police chased him and his older brother through the Boston suburbs. The photo is part of a feature investigating "how a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam, and became a monster."
"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," CVS wrote on its corporate Facebook page.
In a statement attached to the online copy of its article, Rolling Stone defended its story.
"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."
Wednesday afternoon, Walgreens and New England-based grocery chain Tedeschi Food Shops followed CVS' lead, announcing they would not be carrying this month's edition of the magazine, either.
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