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''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in
San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic
Ralph J. Gleason Ralph Joseph Gleason (March 1, 1917 – June 3, 1975) was an American music critic and columnist. He contributed for many years to the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', was a founding editor of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey ...
. It was first known for its coverage of
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States a ...
and political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson. In the 1990s, the magazine broadened and shifted its focus to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. It has since returned to its traditional mix of content, including music, entertainment, and politics. The first magazine was released in 1967 and featured
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
on the cover and was published every two weeks. It is known for provocative
photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...
and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. In addition to its print version in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, it publishes content through Rollingstone.com and numerous international editions.
Penske Media Corporation Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including '' Variety'', '' Rolling Stone'' ...
is the current owner of ''Rolling Stone'', having purchased 51 percent of the magazine in 2017 and the remaining 49 percent in 2020. Noah Shachtman became the editor-in-chief in 2021.


History


1967 to 1979: Founding and early history

''Rolling Stone'' was founded in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
in 1967 by Jann Wenner and
Ralph J. Gleason Ralph Joseph Gleason (March 1, 1917 – June 3, 1975) was an American music critic and columnist. He contributed for many years to the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', was a founding editor of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, and cofounder of the Monterey ...
. To pay for the setup costs, Wenner borrowed $7,500 from his family and the parents of his soon-to-be wife, Jane Schindelheim. The first issue was released on November 9, 1967, and featured
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
in costume for the film '' How I Won the War'' on the cover. It was in newspaper format with a lead article on the Monterey Pop Festival. The cover price was 25¢ (equivalent to $ in 2016) and it was published bi-weekly. In the first issue, Wenner explained that the title of the magazine referred to the 1950 blues song " Rollin' Stone", recorded by Muddy Waters, and
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's 1965 hit single " Like a Rolling Stone": Some authors have attributed the name solely to Dylan's hit single: "At alphGleason's suggestion, Wenner named his magazine after a
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
song." ''Rolling Stone'' initially identified with and reported the hippie
counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. H ...
of the era. However, it distanced itself from the underground newspapers of the time, such as '' Berkeley Barb'', embracing more traditional journalistic standards and avoiding the radical politics of the underground press. In the first edition, Wenner wrote that ''Rolling Stone'' "is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces". In a 2017 article celebrating the publication's 50th anniversary, ''Rolling Stone''s David Browne stated that the magazine's name was a nod to
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
in an addition to "Rollin' Stone" and "Like a Rolling Stone". The magazine's long-running slogan, "All the news that fits", was provided by early contributor, manager and sometime editor Susan Lydon. She lifted it from an April Fools issue of the '' Columbia Daily Spectator'' which posted "All the news that fits we print", a parody of ''The New York Times'' slogan, "All the News That's Fit to Print". The first appearance of the rubric was in 1969. In the 1970s, ''Rolling Stone'' began to make a mark with its political coverage, with the likes of
gonzo Gonzo may refer to: People * Gonzo (nickname), a list of people with the nickname * Radislav Jovanov Gonzo (born 1964), Croatian music video director Radislav Jovanov, also known as Gonzo * Matthias Röhr (born 1962), German musician whose sta ...
journalist Hunter S. Thompson writing for the magazine's political section. Thompson first published his most famous work, '' Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'', within the pages of ''Rolling Stone'', where he remained a contributing editor until his death in 2005. In the 1970s, the magazine also helped launch the careers of many prominent authors, including Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs, Joe Klein, Joe Eszterhas,
Ben Fong-Torres Benjamin Fong-Torres ( 方 振 豪; Cantonese: Fong Chan Ho; born January 7, 1945) is an American rock journalist best known for his association with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine (until 1981) and the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' (from around 1982). B ...
, Patti Smith and
P. J. O'Rourke Patrick Jake O'Rourke (November 14, 1947 – February 15, 2022) was an American libertarian political satirist and journalist. O'Rourke was the H. L. Mencken Research Fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute and a regular correspondent for ''T ...
. It was at this point that the magazine ran some of its most famous stories. The January 21, 1970, issue covered the Altamont Free Concert and the death of Meredith Hunter, which won a Specialized Journalism award at the
National Magazine Awards The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
in 1971. Later in 1970, ''Rolling Stone'' published a 30,000-word feature on Charles Manson by David Dalton and David Felton, including their interview of Manson when he was in the LA County Jail awaiting trial, which won ''Rolling Stone'' its first National Magazine Award. Four years later, they also covered the Patty Hearst abduction odyssey. One interviewer, speaking for many of his peers, said that he bought his first copy of the magazine upon initial arrival on his college campus, describing it as a "
rite of passage A rite of passage is a ceremony or ritual of the passage which occurs when an individual leaves one group to enter another. It involves a significant change of social status, status in society. In cultural anthropology the term is the Anglicisat ...
". In 1972, Wenner assigned Tom Wolfe to cover the launch of
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
's last Moon mission, Apollo 17. He published a four-part series in 1973 titled "Post-Orbital Remorse", about the depression that some astronauts experienced after having been in space. After the series, Wolfe began researching the whole of the space program, in what became a seven-year project from which he took time to write '' The Painted Word'', a book on art, and to complete '' Mauve Gloves & Madmen, Clutter & Vine'', a collection of shorter pieces and eventually '' The Right Stuff''. ''Rolling Stone'' recruited writers from smaller music magazines, including Paul Nelson from '' Sing Out!'', who became record reviews editor from 1978 to 1983, and Dave Marsh from '' Creem''. In 1977, the magazine moved its headquarters from
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
to
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Editor Jann Wenner said
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...
had become "a cultural backwater".


1980 to 1999: Change to entertainment magazine

Kurt Loder Kurtis Loder (born May 5, 1945) is an American entertainment critic, author, columnist, and television personality. He served in the 1980s as editor at ''Rolling Stone'', during a tenure that ''Reason'' later called "legendary". He has contribute ...
joined ''Rolling Stone'' in May 1979 and spent nine years there, including as editor. Timothy White joined as a writer from '' Crawdaddy'' and David Fricke from '' Musician''. Tom Wolfe wrote to Wenner to propose an idea drawn from
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
and William Makepeace Thackeray: to serialize a novel. Wenner offered Wolfe around $200,000 to serialize his work. The frequent deadline pressure gave Wolfe the motivation he had sought, and from July 1984 to August 1985, he published a new installment in each biweekly issue of ''Rolling Stone''. Later Wolfe was unhappy with his "very public first draft" and thoroughly revised his work, even changing his protagonist, Sherman McCoy, and published it as '' The Bonfire of the Vanities'' in 1987. ''Rolling Stone'' was known for its musical coverage and for Thompson's political reporting and in 1985, they hired an advertising agency to refocus its image under the series "Perception/Reality" comparing Sixties symbols to those of the Eighties, which led to an increase in advertising revenue and pages. It also shifted to more of an entertainment magazine in the 1980s. It still had music as the main topic but began to increase its coverage of celebrities, films, and pop culture. It also began releasing its annual "Hot Issue". In the 1990s, the magazine changed its format to appeal to a younger readership interested in youth-oriented television shows, film actors, and popular music. This led to criticism that the magazine was emphasizing style over substance.


2000 to 2015: Expansion of readership

After years of declining readership, the magazine experienced a major resurgence of interest and relevance with the work of two young journalists in the late 2000s, Michael Hastings and
Matt Taibbi Matthew Colin Taibbi (; born March 2, 1970) is an American author, journalist, and podcaster. He has reported on finance, media, politics, and sports. A former contributing editor for ''Rolling Stone'', he is an author of several books, co-host o ...
. Rob Sheffield also joined from '' Spin''. In 2005,
Dana Leslie Fields Dana Leslie Fields is an American magazine publisher and an inaugural inductee into the Magazine Publishers Hall of Fame. She is best known for having been the publisher of ''Rolling Stone'', President of ''FHM'' magazine, as well as other magazin ...
, former publisher of ''Rolling Stone'', who had worked at the magazine for 17 years, was an inaugural inductee into the Magazine Hall of Fame. In 2009, Taibbi unleashed an acclaimed series of scathing reports on the financial meltdown of the time. He famously described Goldman Sachs as "a great vampire squid". Bigger headlines came at the end of June 2010. ''Rolling Stone'' caused a controversy in the
White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
by publishing in the July issue an article by journalist Michael Hastings entitled "The Runaway General", quoting criticism by General Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of the
International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 pursua ...
and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan commander, about Vice President Joe Biden and other Administration members of the White House. McChrystal resigned from his position shortly after his statements went public. In 2010, Taibbi documented illegal and fraudulent actions by banks in the foreclosure courts, after traveling to Jacksonville, Florida and sitting in on hearings in the courtroom. His article, "Invasion of the Home Snatchers", also documented attempts by the judge to intimidate a homeowner fighting foreclosure and the attorney Taibbi accompanied into the court. In January 2012, the magazine ran exclusive excerpts from Hastings' book just prior to publication. The book, ''The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan'', provided a much more expansive look at McChrystal and the culture of senior American military and how they become embroiled in such wars. The book reached Amazon.com's bestseller list in the first 48 hours of release, and it received generally favorable reviews. Salon's Glenn Greenwald described it as "superb," "brave" and "eye-opening". In 2012, Taibbi, through his coverage of the Libor scandal, emerged as an expert on that topic, which led to media appearances outside ''Rolling Stone''. On November 9, 2012, the magazine published its first Spanish-language section on Latino music and culture, in the issue dated November 22.


2016 to present: New ownership

In September 2016, ''
Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mu ...
'' reported that Wenner was in the process of selling a 49% stake of the magazine to a company from Singapore called BandLab Technologies. The new investor had no direct involvement in the editorial content of the magazine. In September 2017, Wenner Media announced that the remaining 51% of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine was up for sale. In December 2017, Penske Media acquired the remaining stake from Wenner Media. It became a monthly magazine from the July 2018 issue. On January 31, 2019, Penske acquired BandLab's 49% stake in ''Rolling Stone'', gaining full ownership of the magazine. In January 2021, a Chinese edition of the magazine was launched, while in September 2021, ''Rolling Stone'' launched a dedicated UK edition in conjunction with
Attitude magazine ''Attitude'' (stylised in all lowercase) is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Stream Publishing Limited. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine, and as a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store, and for Andro ...
publisher Stream Publishing. The new British ''Rolling Stone'' launched into a marketplace which already featured titles like ''
Mojo Mojo may refer to: *Mojo (African-American culture), a magical charm bag used in voodoo Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * MOJO HD, an American television network * ''Mojo'' (play), by Jez Butterworth, made into a 1997 film * '' ...
'' and BandLab Technologies's monthly music magazine '' Uncut''. The first issue had a choice of three cover stars (including music acts Bastille and Sam Fender, as well as ''No Time To Die'' actor Lashana Lynch), with the magazine due to be a bi-monthly publication. In February 2022, Rolling Stone announced the acquisition of Life Is Beautiful, saying, "Live events are an integral part of Rolling Stone’s future."


Covers

Some artists have been featured on the cover many times, and some of these pictures went on to become iconic.
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
, for example, have appeared on the cover more than 30 times, either individually or as a band. The magazine is known for provocative photography and has featured musicians and celebrities on the cover throughout its history. ''
Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...
'' called the January 22, 1981, cover featuring
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and Yoko Ono the "Greatest ''Rolling Stone'' Cover Ever". The first ten issues featured, in order of appearance: #
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
# Tina Turner #
The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
# Jimi Hendrix, Donovan and Otis Redding # Jim Morrison # Janis Joplin # Jimi Hendrix # Monterey Pop Festival #
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
and Paul McCartney # Eric Clapton The magazine spent $1 million (equivalent to $ million in ) on the 3-D hologram cover of the special 1,000th issue (May 18, 2006) displaying multiple celebrities and other personalities.


Print format

The printed format has gone through several changes. The first publications, in 1967–72, were in folded tabloid newspaper format, with no staples, only black ink text, and a single color highlight that changed each edition. From 1973 onwards, editions were produced on a four-color press with a different newsprint paper size. In 1979, the bar code appeared. In 1980, it became a gloss-paper, large-format (10"×12") magazine. Editions switched to the standard 8"×11" magazine size starting with the issue dated October 30, 2008. Starting with the new monthly July 2018 issue, it returned to the previous 10"×12" large format.


Website

The publication's site at one time had an extensive message-board forum. By the late 1990s, this had developed into a thriving community, with many regular members and contributors worldwide. However, the site was also plagued with numerous Internet trolls, who vandalized the forum substantially. The magazine abruptly deleted the forum in May 2004, then began a new, much more limited message board community on their site in late 2005, only to remove it again in 2006. In March 2008, the website started a new message board section once again, then deleted it in April 2010. ''Rolling Stone'' devotes one of its table of contents pages to promoting material currently appearing on its website, listing detailed links to the items. On April 19, 2010, the website underwent a redesign and began featuring the complete archives of ''Rolling Stone''. The archive was first launched under a for-pay model, but has since transitioned to a free-with-print-subscription model. In the spring of 2012, ''Rolling Stone'' launched a federated search feature, which searches both the website and the archive. The website has become an interactive source of biographical information on music artists in addition to historical rankings from the magazine. Users can cross-reference lists and they are also provided with historical insights. For example, one group that is listed on both
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine '' Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indu ...
and Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time is
Toots and the Maytals The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music. ...
, with biographical details from ''Rolling Stone'' that explain how Toots and the Maytals coined the term " reggae" in their song " Do the Reggay". For biographical information on all artists, the website contains a directory listed alphabetically.


''Glixel''

In May 2016, Wenner Media announced plans to create a separate online publication dedicated to the coverage of video games and video game culture.
Gus Wenner use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...
, Jann Wenner's son and head of digital for the publication at the time, told ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' that "gaming is today what rock 'n' roll was when ''Rolling Stone'' was founded". ''Glixel'' was originally hosted on ''Rolling Stone''s website and transitioned to its own domain by October 2016. Stories from ''Glixel'' are included on the ''Rolling Stone'' website, while writers for ''Rolling Stone'' were also able to contribute to ''Glixel''. The site was headed by John Davison, and its offices were located in San Francisco. ''Rolling Stone'' closed down the offices in June 2017 and fired the entire staff, citing the difficulties of working with the remote site from their main New York office. Brian Crecente, founder of Kotaku and co-founder of Polygon, was hired as editorial director and runs the site from the main New York office. Following the sale of ''Rolling Stone''s assets to
Penske Media Corporation Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including '' Variety'', '' Rolling Stone'' ...
, the ''Glixel'' content was merged into the routine publishing of '' Variety'', with Crecente remaining as editorial director.


Restaurant

In December 2009, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reported that the owners of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine planned to open a ''Rolling Stone'' restaurant in the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood in the spring of 2010. The expectation was that the restaurant could become the first of a national chain if it was successful. As of November 2010, the "soft opening" of the restaurant was planned for December 2010. In 2011, the restaurant was open for lunch and dinner as well as a full night club downstairs on the weekends. The restaurant closed in February 2013.


Reactions

One major criticism of ''Rolling Stone'' involves its generational bias toward the 1960s and 1970s. One critic referred to the ''Rolling Stone'' list of the "500 Greatest Songs" as an example of "unrepentant rockist fogeyism". In further response to this issue, rock critic
Jim DeRogatis James Peter DeRogatis (born September 2, 1964) is an American music critic and co-host of '' Sound Opinions''. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as '' Rolling Stone'', ''Spin'', '' Guitar World'' and '' Modern Drummer'', and for ...
, a former ''Rolling Stone'' editor, published a thorough critique of the magazine's lists in a book called ''Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Reconsiders the Classics'', which featured differing opinions from many younger critics. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine has been criticized for reconsidering many classic albums that it had previously dismissed, and for frequent use of the 3.5-star rating. For example,
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...
was largely written off by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine critics during the band's most active years in the 1970s, but by 2006, a cover story on the band honored them as "the Heaviest Band of All Time". A critic for '' Slate'' magazine described a conference at which 1984's '' The Rolling Stone Record Guide'' was scrutinized. As he described it, "The guide virtually ignored hip-hop and ruthlessly panned heavy metal, the two genres that within a few years would dominate the pop charts. In an auditorium packed with music journalists, you could detect more than a few anxious titters: How many of us will want our record reviews read back to us 20 years hence?" The hiring of former '' FHM'' editor Ed Needham further enraged critics who alleged that ''Rolling Stone'' had lost its credibility. The 2003 "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of all Time" article, which named only two female musicians, resulted in '' Venus Zine'' answering with their own list, entitled "The Greatest Female Guitarists of All Time". Conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg stated that ''Rolling Stone'' had "essentially become the house organ of the Democratic National Committee". ''Rolling Stone'' editor Jann Wenner has made all of his political donations to Democrats. ''Rolling Stone'' endorsed Democratic candidate
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
in the run-up for the 2016 U.S. presidential election. ''Rolling Stone''s film critic, Peter Travers, has been criticized for his high number of repetitively used blurbs. In 2003, the article " Bug Chasers: The men who long to be HIV+" attracted commentators whose reactions ranged from agreement to challenge of the reported findings. In 2005, the article "
Deadly Immunity "Deadly Immunity" is an article written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. that appeared in the July 14, 2005 issue of ''Rolling Stone'' and, simultaneously, on the website ''Salon''. The article is focused on the 2000 Simpsonwood CDC conference and cl ...
" by anti-vaccine activist
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954) is an American environmental lawyer and author known for promoting anti-vaccine propaganda and conspiracy theories. Kennedy is a son of U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of President ...
attracted criticism for quoting material out of context, and the ''Rolling Stone'' eventually amended the story with corrections in response to these and other criticisms.


Tsarnaev cover

The August 2013 ''Rolling Stone'' cover, featuring then-accused (later convicted) Boston Marathon bomber
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev Dzhokhar "Jahar" Anzorovich Tsarnaev born July 22, 1993)russian: Джоха́р Анзо́рович Царна́ев, link=no ; ce, Царнаев Анзор-кIант ДжовхӀар o; (Kyrgyz language, Kyrgyz: Жохар Анзор уул ...
, drew widespread criticism that the magazine was "glamorizing terrorism" and that the cover was a "slap in the face to the great city of
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
". The online edition of the article was accompanied by a short editorial stating that the story "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 controversial cover photograph that was used by ''Rolling Stone'' had previously featured on the front page of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' on May 5, 2013. In response to the outcry, New England-based CVS Pharmacy and Tedeschi Food Shops banned their stores from carrying the issue. Also refusing to sell the issue were Walgreens; Rite-Aid and Kmart; Roche Bros. and Stop & Shop; H-E-B and Walmart; 7-Eleven; Hy-Vee,
Rutter's Farm Rutter's is a chain of convenience stores and gas stations with 82 locations in Central and Western Pennsylvania, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and central Maryland. Stores are open 24 hours a day and have a made-to-order food counter, ...
, and United Supermarkets; Cumberland Farms and Market Basket; and Shaw's. Boston mayor Thomas Menino sent a letter to ''Rolling Stone'' publisher Jann Wenner, calling the cover "ill-conceived, at best ... treaffirms a message that destruction gains fame for killers and their 'causes'." Menino also wrote, "To respond to you in anger is to feed into your obvious market strategy", and that Wenner could have written about the survivors or the people who came to help after the bombings instead. In conclusion he wrote, "The survivors of the Boston Marathon deserve ''Rolling Stone'' cover stories, though I no longer feel that ''Rolling Stone'' deserves them."


UVA false rape story

In the issue dated November 19, 2014, the story "A Rape on Campus" was run about an alleged gang rape on the campus of the University of Virginia. Separate inquiries by Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity accused by ''Rolling Stone'' of facilitating the alleged rape, and ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' revealed major errors, omissions and discrepancies in the story. Reporter Sabrina Erdely's story was subject to intense media criticism. ''The Washington Post'' and ''Boston Herald'' issued calls for magazine staff involved in the report to be fired. ''Rolling Stone'' subsequently issued three apologies for the story. On December 5, 2014, ''Rolling Stone''s managing editor, Will Dana, apologized for not fact-checking the story. ''Rolling Stone'' commissioned an outside investigation of the story and its problems by the dean of the Columbia School of Journalism. The report uncovered journalistic failure in the UVA story and institutional problems with reporting at ''Rolling Stone''. ''Rolling Stone'' retracted the story on April 5, 2015. On April 6, 2015, following the investigation and retraction of the story, Phi Kappa Psi announced plans to pursue all available legal action against ''Rolling Stone'', including claims of defamation. On May 12, 2015, UVA associate dean Nicole Eramo, chief administrator for handling sexual assault issues at the school, filed a $7.5 million defamation lawsuit in Charlottesville Circuit Court against ''Rolling Stone'' and Erdely, claiming damage to her reputation and emotional distress. Said the filing, "''Rolling Stone'' and Erdely's highly defamatory and false statements about Dean Eramo were not the result of an innocent mistake. They were the result of a wanton journalist who was more concerned with writing an article that fulfilled her preconceived narrative about the victimization of women on American college campuses, and a malicious publisher who was more concerned about selling magazines to boost the economic bottom line for its faltering magazine, than they were about discovering the truth or actual facts." On November 4, 2016, after 20 hours of deliberation, a jury consisting of eight women and two men found ''Rolling Stone'', the magazine's publisher and Erdely liable for defaming Eramo, and awarded Eramo $3 million. On July 29, 2015, three graduates of the fraternity Phi Kappa Psi filed a lawsuit against ''Rolling Stone'', its publisher Wenner Media, and a journalist for defamation and infliction of emotional distress. The same day, and just months after the controversy began, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that managing editor Will Dana was departing the magazine with his last date recorded as August 7, 2015. On November 9, 2015, the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity filed suit for $25 million for damages to its reputation caused by the magazine's publication of this story, "with reckless disregard for the truth". ''Rolling Stone'' paid the fraternity $1.65 million to settle the suit out of court.


False ivermectin story

In September 2021, ''Rolling Stone'' picked up a story published by Oklahoma news outlet
KFOR KFOR may refer to: * KFOR (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to Lincoln, Nebraska, United States * KFOR-TV, a television station (channel 4 analog/27 digital) licensed to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States * KFOR-TV (Nebraska), a defun ...
which claimed that so many people had been hospitalized due to ivermectin overdoses in Oklahoma that there was no room in intensive care units for other patients, including those with gunshot wounds. However, an Oklahoma hospital said in a statement that there was no shortage of beds due to ivermectin overdoses, and the doctor who had been interviewed by KFOR had not said that ivermectin cases were crowding out other patients, but the initial story and subsequent coverage had linked separate comments about ivermectin overdoses and scarce beds. CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale stated that ''Rolling Stone'' had " unan adaptation of the KFOR story without appearing to do sufficient research to make sure the local report was sound". ''Rolling Stone'' subsequently added an editor's note which retracted the core point of its story. Kyle Smith of '' National Review'' wrote that ''Rolling Stone'''s correction "is so humiliating, it’s a wonder the place doesn’t shut its doors immediately, liquidate all assets, and deny that it ever existed."
Robby Soave Robert Emil Soave Jr.(, ) is an American journalist who is a senior editor for ''Reason.'' He is the author of two books: ''Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump'' (2019) and ''Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn't Fear Facebook and the Future' ...
of ''Reason'' wrote that the correct story "was something ''Rolling Stone'' could have figured out on its own had the magazine bothered to contact any hospitals in Oklahoma, but alas." Alex Shephard of '' The New Republic'' wrote: "For mainstream and, particularly, liberal media this should be a stark reminder of the value of due diligence and checking sources. At the very least, make a phone call."


In popular culture

George Harrison's 1975 song "
This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying) "This Guitar (Can't Keep from Crying)" is a song by English rock musician George Harrison, released on his 1975 studio album ''Extra Texture (Read All About It)''. Harrison wrote the song as a sequel to his popular Beatles composition "While My ...
", a lyrical sequel to his Beatles track " While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (1968), references the magazine in its second verse: "Learned to get up when I fall / Can even climb ''Rolling Stone'' walls". The song was written in response to some highly unfavorable reviews from ''Rolling Stone'' and other publications for Harrison's 1974 North American tour and the '' Dark Horse'' album. The 2000 film '' Almost Famous'' centers on a teenage journalist writing for the magazine in the early 1970s while covering the fictional band Stillwater. The film was directed by Cameron Crowe and based on his own experiences as a young journalist for the magazine in the same time period. "
The Cover of Rolling Stone ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...
" is a song written by Shel Silverstein and first recorded by American rock group Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show. The song satirizes success in the music business; the song's narrator laments that his band, despite having the superficial attributes of a successful rock star (including drug usage, "teenage groupies, who'll do anything we say", and a frenetic guitar solo), has been unable to "get their pictures on the cover of the ''Rolling Stone''". The title track of Pink Floyd's album '' The Final Cut'' features the line, "Would you sell your story to ''Rolling Stone''?" In Stephen King's novel ''Firestarter'', the protagonists decide to tell their story to ''Rolling Stone''. In Joni Mitchell's song "California", the magazine is referenced in the line, "Reading ''Rolling Stone'' reading ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
''". In May of 2022, an off-Broadway play adapted from the "A Rape on Campus" article controversy and resulting legal battles titled ''Retraction'' premiered in New York City at Theatre Four at Theatre Row.


International editions

Publisher Steve DeLuca said the international editions typically include 50 to 80 percent of the American version of the magazine, translated in their own languages, and supplemented with local content. Since PMC took over full ownership of the title, ''Rolling Stone'' is published in 15 territories around the world, with the introduction of ''Rolling Stone UK'' in September 2021 the latest to be launched. * – Published by ''
La Nación ''La Nación'' () is an Argentine daily newspaper. As the country's leading conservative newspaper, ''La Nación''s main competitor is the more liberal '' Clarín''. It is regarded as a newspaper of record for Argentina. Its motto is: "''La N ...
'' since April 1998. This edition also circulates in Bolivia,
Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...
and Uruguay. In 2007 it celebrated its ninth year by publishing ''Rolling Stone Argentina''s The 100 Greatest Albums of National Rock. *
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
– '' Rolling Stone Australia'' began as a supplement in 1969 in ''Revolution'' magazine. It became a full title in 1971 published by Phillip Frazer. It was published by Silvertongues from 1974 to 1987 and by nextmedia Pty Ltd, Sydney until 2008. Notable editors and contributors include Phillip Frazer, Alistair Jones, Paul and Jane Gardiner, Toby Creswell,
Clinton Walker Clinton Walker is an Australian writer, best known for his works on popular music. He is known for his books ''Highway to Hell'' (1994; a biography of Bon Scott), '' Buried Country'' (2000; also a film and soundtrack album), ''History is Made ...
and Kathy Bail. It was the longest running international edition but closed in January 2018. ''Rolling Stone Australia'' relaunched in 2020. *
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
– Published in Brazil from October 2006 to May 2018 by , and currently owned by Grupo Perfil. In 1972, a pirated Brazilian edition of ''Rolling Stone'' was created; this pirated edition was not officially recognized by the American publication. *
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
– Published in
Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
from November 2009 to August 2011 by Sivir Publications. *
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
– Published from May 2003 to December 2005 by Edu Comunicaciones, and from January 2006 to December 2011 by
El Mercurio ''El Mercurio'' (known online as ''El Mercurio On-Line'', ''EMOL'') is a Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. Its Santiago edition is considered the country's newspaper of record and it is considered the oldest daily in ...
. *
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
– The original ''Rolling Stone'' for mainland China was published by the One Media Group of Hong Kong. The magazine was in Chinese with translated articles and local content. It halted publication after one year. From January 2021, a new Chinese-language ''Rolling Stone'' magazine started to be published in China. * Colombia – Edited in Bogotá for Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, Panama and Venezuela, since 1991. *
Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capi ...
– Published from 2013 to 2015 by S3 Mediji. This edition also circulates in
Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
,
North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
,
Montenegro ) , image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Podgorica , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , official_languages = ...
,
Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
and
Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...
. *
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
– Went through multiple breaks and phases published by different companies. Initially launched in 1988. *
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
– Published since 1994 by Axel Springer AG. *
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
– Launched in March 2008 by MW.Com, publisher of '' Man's World''. *
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
– Published from June 2005 to January 2018 by PT a&e Media. *
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
– Published since 1980. After ceasing publication in 1982, it was relaunched in November 2003, first by IXO Publishing, and then by Editrice Quadratum until April 2014. The magazine is currently published by Luciano Bernardini de Pace Editore. It ceased print edition in 2019, moving online. *
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
– Launched in March 2007 by International Luxury Media. Published by since 2011. * Korea – Launched in 2020, under a license agreement with
Penske Media Corporation Penske Media Corporation (PMC) () is an American digital media, publishing, and information services company based in Los Angeles and New York City. It publishes more than 20 digital and print brands, including '' Variety'', '' Rolling Stone'' ...
. *
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
– Published by PRISA from November 2002 to May 2009. Published from June 2009 by Editorial Televisa (subsidiary of Televisa) under license. *
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
– Published in
Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...
by HGW Media since November 2010. *
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
– Published since 2004 by Motor Media. *
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
– Published since November 2011 by 3i Publishing. *
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
– Published by PROGRESA (subsidiary of PRISA) in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
from 1999 to 2015. *
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
– Published since June 2006 by GD Gazete Dergi. *
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
– Published under the title ''Friends of Rolling Stone'', later shortened to '' Friends'' and eventually ''Frendz'', from 1969 to 1972. In September 2021, issue 001 of the bi-monthly 180-page British edition, priced at £6.95, was published under the title ''Rolling Stone UK'', where it joined the American edition of ''Rolling Stone'' on the shelves of British newsagents.


See also

* The ''Rolling Stone'' Interview * Counterculture of the 1960s * ''Rolling Stone'' charts *
List of underground newspapers of the 1960s counterculture This is a partial list of the local underground newspapers launched during the Sixties era of the hippie/psychedelic/youth/counterculture/New Left/antiwar movements, approximately 1965–1972. This list includes periodically appearing papers of ge ...


References


Sources

* * *
The Only Girl (book) ''The Only Girl: My Life and Times on the Masthead of ''Rolling Stone is a 2018 memoir by Robin Green. The book has eight "positive" reviews and two "rave" reviews, according to review aggregator Book Marks Literary Hub is a daily literary web ...
*


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links

* * {{Authority control 1967 establishments in California Biweekly magazines published in the United States Counterculture of the 1960s Liberalism in the United States Magazines established in 1967 Magazines published in Milan Magazines published in New York City Magazines published in San Francisco Magazines published in Istanbul Monthly magazines published in the United States Music magazines published in France Music magazines published in Germany Music magazines published in India Music magazines published in Italy Music magazines published in Russia Music magazines published in the United Kingdom Music magazines published in the United States Penske Media Corporation Political magazines published in the United States PRISA Progressivism in the United States