3Qs: Rolling Stone’s controversial cover

Earlier this week, Rolling Stone unveiled the cover of its August issue: a glam photo of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Many readers—particularly those from the Boston area—were outraged, saying the cover treatment turned an alleged murderer into a rock star. Several retailers and organizations, including Northeastern, have pulled the controversial issue from their stores. We asked Dan Kennedy, an assistant professor of journalism in the College of Arts, Media, and Design, to explain Rolling Stone’s decision and how the public’s perception of the magazine has shaped the outrage.