Magazine Cover Controversy
Texas stores boycott Rolling Stone with Boston bomber cover
Dallas-based 7-Eleven and San Antonio-based H-E-B have both announced they will not carry the August issue of Rolling Stone, in response to the magazine's decision to feature accused Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover.
H-E-B confirmed on Thursday that it would not be selling the magazine at its 300 stores.
The decision by 7-Eleven represents a backtracking, as the convenience store chain initially expressed a willingness to sell the magazine. A company representative told TMZ that it would not only pull the issue out of its nearly 2,000 stores but would also encourage its 5,900 franchise stores to follow suit.
Aside from the controversy surrounding the cover choice itself, there is also the fact that Tsarnaev looks less like a terrorist and more like a rock star, with unkempt curly hair and an equally disheveled T-shirt.
The magazine issued a statement defending its choice.
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.
Though the photo is creating a wave controversy for the magazine, it's not the first time it has appeared in the media. The same Tsarnaev image ran on the cover of the New York Times in May.
Still, a photo on the cover of Rolling Stone is a belt notch like no other. That said, the magazine has become equally known as of late for its political coverage as its music, with features on Wall Street scandals and the environment.
Other controversial Rolling Stone covers include Charles Manson in 1970 and 2006 image comparing Kanye West to Jesus.
Rolling Stone is still no match in the cover controversy department for Time magazine, which infamously named Adolf Hitler "Man of the Year" in 1938 and gave the same honor to Saddam Hussein in 1990.
H-E-B and 7-Eleven join a number of other retailers who've already announced their decision to not sell the magazine, including Wal-Mart, CVS and Walgreens, as well as as supermarket chain Stop & Shop.
