The news media never ceases to amaze me. The first thing I saw when I turned on CNN this morning for my ritualistic coffee and news update was the cover of the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine. There, on the cover, is Boston Marathon bomber suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. The photo looks more like a picture of one of today’s teen idols than a portrait of a murderer. (I don't know what folks expect. There were only a handful of images available, and none that showed him with horns. Although they could have penciled those in.) Now Rolling Stone is being accused of making the terror suspect appear to be a celebrity, like the lost member of One Direction. Well, he is a celebrity. So is Charles Manson, and he too was on the cover of Rolling Stone back in the early 1970’s.
I believe Rolling Stone made the perfect call. The whole story is “how could a good looking, well liked kid next door end up committing such a heinous act of horror?" The photo says it all. Especially with the 72 point boldface serif font spelling out “The Bomber” right under the photograph.
One of the talking heads - either on FOX or CNN, I was flipping between them - made a comment about how this should have never happened. After all - they said with an air of self-assuredness that almost made it sound like they knew what they were talking about - Rolling Stone is a music magazine.
After 40-plus years of publication, one would think that fellow media reporters would know one of the biggest magazines in the world a bit better. Rolling Stone has covered politics, environment, human rights and all good things right alongside their up to the minute coverage of the ever-changing music trends since the very beginning. Who can forget the political mayhem brought to their old school newsprint pages by the late great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson? And today I read every article they print by political writer Matt Taibi. Always topical. Always well researched. Always well written
I think what pisses me off more than anything is watching our society deteriorate into this dark place where every move a magazine makes, every word out of celebrity’s mouth (ie: Natalie Maines and the Bush debacle that crippled the Dixie Chicks), every action or non-action is immediately up for scrutiny by our absolutely wired society. A society of bloggers and social media reporters who have no training whatsoever in the craft of writing or news reportage. If someone takes the slightest offense at something said by a celebrity or a well known periodical or television show at 9 a.m., that person or group of people will be major “news” by afternoon at the latest. By that evening, they may branded forever. Paula Dean? Please. It makes me want to scream the "F" word. Welcome to my nightmare, kids. The thought police are waiting just outside your door. Please remain in a single file line and be prepared to show your bar code tattoo.
The issue of Rolling Stone will be on news stands on Friday. The story, which features interviews from childhood friends, teachers and law enforcement agents, promises to reveal how a “popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam, and became a monster." I, for one, eagerly await my copy in the mail. And it’s not because I want a Dzhokhar poster on my wall. (Although he is a dreamboat.) It’s because I want to know what caused this youngster to go postal. I’d like to have a better knowledge, learn about him, and then watch the bastard fry.
- Michael Buffalo Smith
I believe Rolling Stone made the perfect call. The whole story is “how could a good looking, well liked kid next door end up committing such a heinous act of horror?" The photo says it all. Especially with the 72 point boldface serif font spelling out “The Bomber” right under the photograph.
One of the talking heads - either on FOX or CNN, I was flipping between them - made a comment about how this should have never happened. After all - they said with an air of self-assuredness that almost made it sound like they knew what they were talking about - Rolling Stone is a music magazine.
After 40-plus years of publication, one would think that fellow media reporters would know one of the biggest magazines in the world a bit better. Rolling Stone has covered politics, environment, human rights and all good things right alongside their up to the minute coverage of the ever-changing music trends since the very beginning. Who can forget the political mayhem brought to their old school newsprint pages by the late great Dr. Hunter S. Thompson? And today I read every article they print by political writer Matt Taibi. Always topical. Always well researched. Always well written
I think what pisses me off more than anything is watching our society deteriorate into this dark place where every move a magazine makes, every word out of celebrity’s mouth (ie: Natalie Maines and the Bush debacle that crippled the Dixie Chicks), every action or non-action is immediately up for scrutiny by our absolutely wired society. A society of bloggers and social media reporters who have no training whatsoever in the craft of writing or news reportage. If someone takes the slightest offense at something said by a celebrity or a well known periodical or television show at 9 a.m., that person or group of people will be major “news” by afternoon at the latest. By that evening, they may branded forever. Paula Dean? Please. It makes me want to scream the "F" word. Welcome to my nightmare, kids. The thought police are waiting just outside your door. Please remain in a single file line and be prepared to show your bar code tattoo.
The issue of Rolling Stone will be on news stands on Friday. The story, which features interviews from childhood friends, teachers and law enforcement agents, promises to reveal how a “popular, promising student was failed by his family, fell into radical Islam, and became a monster." I, for one, eagerly await my copy in the mail. And it’s not because I want a Dzhokhar poster on my wall. (Although he is a dreamboat.) It’s because I want to know what caused this youngster to go postal. I’d like to have a better knowledge, learn about him, and then watch the bastard fry.
- Michael Buffalo Smith
I'm sure the article is fair, but the issue is the cover. He looks like a rock star. It doesn't matter if he was a good kid because in the end he turned out to be a monster. It sucks for the author because the author will take heat for the cover.
ReplyDeleteThis cover is about exploitation. People want good journalism, but they don't want monsters turned into rock stars. The cover could have shown him, as you mentioned, in a much different way - as evil, or not at all.
Scott, you don't get it. The story is, how did this kid who "looks like a rock star" end up committing such a terrible crime. If he was walking around looking "evil" maybe they could have stopped him.
ReplyDelete