Business & Tech

Giant Eagle, CVS Among Local Stores Refusing to Sell Latest Rolling Stone Issue

The August edition of Rolling Stone magazine features Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

By Larissa Dudkiewicz

Several local stores, including some in the Upper St. Clair area, are refusing to sell the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine that is stirring controversy over a cover photo of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.

Giant EagleCVS, Walgreens, Kmart, Rite Aid and company-operated 7-Eleven stores have all announced that they won't sell the magazine's August edition, which was released on Friday.

Critics say that the soft, yellow-tinted photo depicts bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the same light as a young Bob Dylan or Jim Morrison and that it glorifies him like a rock star.

Tsarnaev, 19, recently pleaded not guilty to 30 charges, including murder and using weapons of mass destruction.

KDKA reports that Giant Eagle released this statement: "We are continually mindful of customer feedback we receive on any of the products we carry. Given the controversial nature of the August issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, the decision has been made to discontinue sales of the publication in our stores."

A Kmart spokesperson wrote in an e-mail to The Huffington Post that the retailer won't be selling copies of the magazine "out of respect for those impacted by the events of April 15th."

Walgreens tweeted, "Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Walgreens will not be selling this issue of Rolling Stone magazine."

CVS posted on Facebook, "CVS/pharmacy has decided not to sell the current issue of Rolling Stone featuring a cover photo of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect. 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 editors at Rolling Stone have released a statement defending the cover: "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."


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