Boston Politicians Respond to Controversial Rolling Stone Cover

By: David Ertischeck

The Rolling Stone magazine cover this week features the Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, which has upset many people, including Boston politicians.

"Rolling Stone's decision to glamorize the image of a man who brought terror to our city is disappointing," said District 5 City Councilor Rob Consalvo, a mayoral candidate. "The marathon bombing shook our city and now thousands of people who were personally affected by this tragedy will have the unfortunate experience of coming across the face of a terrorist in a space usually reserved for rock stars and cultural icons. Boston is strong, but we are still healing."

CVS and Roche Bros announced they are not selling the controversial magazine cover in their local stores.

Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy also took issues with the magazine cover, issuing an official release:

"I am saddened and wounded by Rolling Stone magazine's utter callousness. A magazine that boasts stories of musical geniuses, cultural icons, and legends of rock placed an alleged murderer and terrorist on its cover. Jahar Tsarnaev is not a rock star. Tsarnaev calculated a mass killing of unarmed citizens. He took the lives of four people and injured hundreds in the blink of an eye while looking on from a safe distance. He then had the audacity to walk our streets for days afterwards. Tsarnaev played us, now Rolling Stone has played us. 

"Rolling Stone has marketed Tsarnaev as a hero, a misunderstood teen, a product of two incompatible cultures. This mindless glorification of a terrorist epitomizes all that is wrong with the entertainment industry. The magazine blatantly overlooks the lives of the innocent victims of Tsarnaev’s attacks. It is disgusting and offensive. 

"In the days following the explosion, Boston learned the life stories of the four people murdered by this monster and his brother. A few weeks after the bombing, a vigil was held for Martin Richard. Thousands gathered in a park near his home to light candles in his memory. Thousands chose to remember the lives of the victims.  Those are the stories that deserve to grace the cover of Rolling Stone. They are the people who should join the list of heroes, rock stars, and icons, because none of them will ever have the chance to become one," said Murphy.
The magazine released its own statement on Wednesday afternoon about the controversial magazine cover: 

"Our hearts go out to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing, and our thoughts are always with them and their families," the statement reads. "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."