Janet Reitman

Rolling Stone magazine's decision to put Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the 1 August 2013 cover has been met with resounding backlash and online outrage.  Several US retailers have refused to sell the issue; political figures including Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick have denounced the cover; and conservative blogger Michelle Malkin is just one of many celebrities who have proposed a complete boycott of the magazine.  Social media especially has taken up this torch as only social media can (nothing rounds up the bandwagoneers quite like the combination of hot-button controversy and publicity).  Rolling Stone in its defense issued a statement Wednesday, citing the choice as part of a "long-standing commitment to serious and thoughtful coverage of the most important political and cultural issues of our day."