Issue: Did Rolling Stone Commit an Offense — or Good Journalism?

In the spot typically reserved for iconic rock stars, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev made the cover of Rolling Stone. Featuring the face of the young man charged in the Boston Marathon bombings, the magazine sparked outrage across social media.  A Facebook page Boycott Rolling Stone Magazine for their latest cover had 167,000 followers Friday morning. 

The Rolling Stone's article is headlined: “The Bomber: How a Popular, Promising Student Was Failed by His Family, Fell into Radical Islam, and Became a Monster.”

Images of Tsarnaev are thought to have built a fan base for him.

But New York Times media columnist David Carr defends the display, saying: “I think that Rolling Stone committed an act of journalism in both publishing this photo and publishing the story that they did.”

If so, should public sensitivities trump efforts to tell a story?  Or should journalists take public reaction into account in how they report news and controversial issues? Share your thoughts in the comments.