Local CVS, Walgreens Won't Have 'Boston Bomber' Edition of Rolling Stone

By James Sanna

Looking for the August issue of Rolling Stone magazine? Don't bother trying to find it at your local CVS or Walgreens when it hits newstands on Friday.

Wednesday, Rhode Island-based CVS, announced it wouldn't be carrying next month's edition of the magazine due to the cover photo of accused Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Taken from one of Tsarnaev's social media profiles, the photo shows Tsarnaev looking more like an indie rock star than the person police and prosecutors say helped kill three spectators at this year's Boston Marathon and one police officer as police chased him and his older brother through the Boston suburbs. The photo is part of a feature investigating "how a popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam, and became a monster."

"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," CVS wrote on its corporate Facebook page.

In a statement attached to the online copy of its article, Rolling Stone defended its story.

"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."

Also on Wednesday afternoon, Walgreens followed CVS' lead announcing they would not be carrying the August edition of the magazine. Rite Aid reportedly will not be selling the latest issue either, according to U.S. News.

What do you think? Freedom of the press or has Rolling Stone gone too far?