Is It Wrong For “Rolling Stone” To Put Tsarnaev On The Cover?

Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is being featured on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine.  While few are dismissing the newsworthiness of the story inside many are criticizing the decision to feature an alleged killer on the cover.

In the preface to an article by Janet Reitman, the magazine's editors defend their decision to run with the cover this way:

"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."