The backlash over Rolling Stone‘s Dzhokhar Tsarnaev issue has taken an interesting twist. One Boston resident has started a campaign encouraging people to burn the issue and post pictures of it online.
Rolling Stone‘s Tsarnaev cover started making rounds on the Internet this week, with many immediately criticizing the issue for “glorifying” the Boston bombing suspect.
“This is exactly why these f*ck heads commit terrorism so they can get the recognition they so desire,” Jack Osbourne wrote on Twitter.
But one Boston resident is taking things a step further. George Aaron Cuddy has created Facebook and Twitter pages titled “Sunday Burning Sunday,” calling on everyone to burn issues of Rolling Stone‘s newest issue and then post pictures of the bonfire to Facebook.
“Buy a copy of the Rolling Stone issue with Tsarnaev on the cover, burn it, take a photo, and post it here or on Twitter,” the Facebook page reads.
So far, Cuddy’s Facebook event only has 13 participants, but it does show how angry the Rolling Stone cover has made some people. I suppose the irony here is that you’d have to actually buy a copy of Rolling Stone‘s Tsarnaev issue to burn it, thereby rewarding the publisher for the controversial issue with your money anyway.
Though many stores have decided to not even carry the issue, Rolling Stone does have some supporters. They point out that the magazine does have a rich tradition of investigative journalism in both politics and cultural issues. Furthermore, as Chris Finocchio of PolicyMic puts it:
“If you’re only printing pictures of ‘good guys,’ you’re not doing journalism.”
What do you think of Rolling Stone‘s Tsarnaev issue? Will you be buying a copy?… To burn?
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