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''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly
magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...
that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by
Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is a co-founder of the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'', and former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free Speech Movement while ...
, 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 and political reporting by
Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...
. 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 on the cover and was published every two weeks. It is known for provocative photography and its cover photos, featuring musicians, politicians, athletes, and actors. In addition to its print version in the United States, it publishes content through Rollingstone.com and numerous international editions. Penske Media Corporation 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 in 1967 by
Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is a co-founder of the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'', and former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free Speech Movement while ...
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 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's 1965 hit single " Like a Rolling Stone": Some authors have attributed the name solely to Dylan's hit single: "At
alph Alph may refer to: * Alpheus River, a river on the Peloponnese *Alph River, a river in Antarctica *Alph Lake, a lake in Antarctica *Alph, a fictional river in the poem ''Kubla Khan'' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge *Alph, a character from ''Luminous Arc' ...
Gleason's suggestion, Wenner named his magazine after a Bob Dylan song." ''Rolling Stone'' initially identified with and reported the
hippie A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
counterculture 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 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 The ''Columbia Daily Spectator'' (known colloquially as the ''Spec'') is the student newspaper of Columbia University. Founded in 1877, it is the oldest continuously operating college news daily in the nation after ''The Harvard Crimson'', and has ...
'' 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 journalist
Hunter S. Thompson Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author who founded the gonzo journalism movement. He rose to prominence with the publication of '' Hell's Angels'' (1967), a book for which he s ...
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 ''Th ...
. 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 Meredith Curly Hunter, Jr. (October 24, 1951 – December 6, 1969), was an American man who was killed at the 1969 Altamont Free Concert. During the performance by the Rolling Stones, Hunter approached the stage, and was violently driven off by m ...
, which won a Specialized Journalism award at the National Magazine Awards in 1971. Later in 1970, ''Rolling Stone'' published a 30,000-word feature on
Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...
by David Dalton and David Felton, including their interview of Manson when he was in the
LA County Jail The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States a ...
awaiting trial, which won ''Rolling Stone'' its first National Magazine Award. Four years later, they also covered the
Patty Hearst Patricia Campbell Hearst (born February 20, 1954) is the granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found a ...
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". In 1972, Wenner assigned Tom Wolfe to cover the launch of NASA's last Moon mission,
Apollo 17 Apollo 17 (December 7–19, 1972) was the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, the most recent time humans have set foot on the Moon or traveled beyond low Earth orbit. Commander Gene Cernan and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt walked on ...
. 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 Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of ''Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as ''Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone (magazine), ...
from '' Creem''. In 1977, the magazine moved its headquarters from San Francisco to New York City. Editor
Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is a co-founder of the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'', and former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free Speech Movement while ...
said San Francisco had become "a cultural backwater".


1980 to 1999: Change to entertainment magazine

Kurt Loder 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 A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
''. Tom Wolfe wrote to Wenner to propose an idea drawn from Charles Dickens 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 Michael or Mike Hastings may refer to: *Michael Hastings (playwright) (1938–2011), British playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and poet *Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun (1942–2012), English-born Australian rice farmer, Scottish aris ...
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 Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
''. 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 Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, H ...
as "a great vampire squid". Bigger headlines came at the end of June 2010. ''Rolling Stone'' caused a controversy in the White House by publishing in the July issue an article by journalist
Michael Hastings Michael or Mike Hastings may refer to: *Michael Hastings (playwright) (1938–2011), British playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and poet *Michael Abney-Hastings, 14th Earl of Loudoun (1942–2012), English-born Australian rice farmer, Scottish aris ...
entitled "The Runaway General", quoting criticism by General
Stanley A. McChrystal Stanley Allen McChrystal (born August 14, 1954) is a retired United States Army general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) from 2003 to 2008 where his organization was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarq ...
, commander of the International Security Assistance Force 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'' 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 Androi ...
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 Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...
''. 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, 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'' called the January 22, 1981, cover featuring John Lennon and Yoko Ono the "Greatest ''Rolling Stone'' Cover Ever". The first ten issues featured, in order of appearance: # John Lennon # Tina Turner # The Beatles #
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
,
Donovan Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world mus ...
and Otis Redding # Jim Morrison #
Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...
#
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
# Monterey Pop Festival # John Lennon and Paul McCartney #
Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...
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 Federated search retrieves information from a variety of sources via a search application built on top of one or more search engines. A user makes a single query request which is distributed to the search engines, databases or other query engines ...
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 and
Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...
is Toots and the Maytals, with biographical details from ''Rolling Stone'' that explain how Toots and the Maytals coined the term " reggae" in their song "
Do the Reggay "Do the Reggay" is a reggae song by The Maytals, written by Toots Hibbert, produced by Leslie Kong and released on Beverley's in Jamaica and Pyramid Records in the UK in 1968. It was the first popular song to use the word "reggae" and defined the ...
". 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'' 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 Brian Crecente (born July 28, 1970) is an American journalist and columnist. He founded '' Kotaku'', co-founded ''Polygon'', previously served as video games editor at ''Variety,'' and was in charge of game coverage at ''Rolling Stone''. Car ...
, founder of
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
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, 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 Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * 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 Rockism and poptimism are two ideological arguments about popular music prevalent in mainstream music journalism. Rockism is the belief that rock music is dependent on values such as authenticity in art, authenticity and high art, artfulness, ...
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 15 ...
, 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 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 Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...
'' magazine described a conference at which 1984's ''
The Rolling Stone Record Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...
'' 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 ''Venus Zine'' was a quarterly internationally circulated magazine covering women in music, film, art, entertainment, literature, fashion, indie culture and DIY culture. It was published from 1995 through 2010. Venuszine.com was the daily update ...
'' 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 The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
". ''Rolling Stone'' editor Jann Wenner has made all of his political donations to Democrats. ''Rolling Stone'' endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton 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 cla ...
" 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, 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". 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'' 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 Rite Aid Corporation is an American drugstore chain based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1962 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, by Alex Grass under the name Thrift D Discount Center. The company ranked No. 148 in the Fortune 500 lis ...
and Kmart;
Roche Bros. Roche Bros. Supermarkets, Inc. is a chain of supermarkets based in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The company's stores are primarily located in the Boston Metro Area. Roche Bros. also operates the supermarket chain Sudbury Farms. A third banner, Br ...
and Stop & Shop; H-E-B and Walmart;
7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
;
Hy-Vee Hy-Vee, Inc. () is an employee-owned chain of supermarkets in the Midwestern and Southern United States, with more than 280 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and soon Indiana, Kentucky, ...
,
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 Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...
sent a letter to ''Rolling Stone'' publisher
Jann Wenner Jann Simon Wenner ( ; born January 7, 1946) is an American magazine magnate who is a co-founder of the popular culture magazine ''Rolling Stone'', and former owner of '' Men's Journal'' magazine. He participated in the Free Speech Movement while ...
, 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 Gang rape, also called serial gang rape, group rape, or multiple perpetrator rape in scholarly literature,Ullman, S. E. (2013). 11 Multiple perpetrator rape victimization. Handbook on the Study of Multiple Perpetrator Rape: A Multidisciplinary Re ...
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'' 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 Fact-checking is the process of verifying factual information, in order to promote the veracity and correctness of reporting. Fact-checking can be conducted before (''ante hoc'') or after (''post hoc'') the text is published or otherwise dissem ...
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'' 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 Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
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 defunct ...
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 Daniel Dale (born March 28, 1985) is a Canadian journalist known for rebutting a large number of claims made by United States President Donald Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign and presidency. Dale credits an encounter with Toronto Mayo ...
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 Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
, but alas." Alex Shephard of '' The New Republic'' wrote: "For
mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso Mu ...
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 George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
'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 ...
", a lyrical sequel to his
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
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 A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...
'' 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 m ...
" 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 Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...
's album '' The Final Cut'' features the line, "Would you sell your story to ''Rolling Stone''?" In
Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...
's novel ''Firestarter'', the protagonists decide to tell their story to ''Rolling Stone''. In
Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
's song "California", the magazine is referenced in the line, "Reading ''Rolling Stone'' reading '' Vogue''". In May of 2022, an
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
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'' since April 1998. This edition also circulates in
Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, Paraguay 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 state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
– '' 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 nextmedia Pty Limited (styled as nextmedia) is an Australian media company which publishes special interest magazines in the sport, humor, and hobby (among others). The company is headquartered in Sydney and owned by The Forum Media Group, a ...
Pty Ltd, Sydney until 2008. Notable editors and contributors include Phillip Frazer, Alistair Jones, Paul and Jane Gardiner,
Toby Creswell Toby Creswell (born 21 May 1955) is an Australian music journalist and pop-culture writer. He was editor of ''Rolling Stone'' (Australia) and a founding editor of ''Juice''. In 1986, he co-wrote, with Martin Fabinyi, his first book, ''Too Much ...
, Clinton Walker and Kathy Bail. It was the longest running international edition but closed in January 2018. ''Rolling Stone Australia'' relaunched in 2020. * Brazil – 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 – Published in Bulgaria from November 2009 to August 2011 by Sivir Publications. * Chile – Published from May 2003 to December 2005 by Edu Comunicaciones, and from January 2006 to December 2011 by El Mercurio. *
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
– 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 Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
– Edited in
Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...
for Colombia, Ecuador,
Perú , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...
, Panama and Venezuela, since 1991. * Croatia – Published from 2013 to 2015 by S3 Mediji. This edition also circulates in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. * France – Went through multiple breaks and phases published by different companies. Initially launched in 1988. * Germany – Published since 1994 by Axel Springer AG. * India – Launched in March 2008 by MW.Com, publisher of '' Man's World''. * Indonesia – Published from June 2005 to January 2018 by PT a&e Media. * Italy – 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 north ...
– Launched in March 2007 by International Luxury Media. Published by since 2011. * Korea – Launched in 2020, under a license agreement with Penske Media Corporation. * Mexico – Published by PRISA from November 2002 to May 2009. Published from June 2009 by Editorial Televisa (subsidiary of Televisa) under license. * Middle East – Published in Dubai by HGW Media since November 2010. * Russia – Published since 2004 by Motor Media. * South Africa – Published since November 2011 by 3i Publishing. * Spain – Published by PROGRESA (subsidiary of PRISA) in Madrid from 1999 to 2015. * Turkey – Published since June 2006 by GD Gazete Dergi. * United Kingdom – Published under the title ''Friends of Rolling Stone'', later shortened to ''
Friends ''Friends'' is an American television sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. With an ensemble cast starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa ...
'' 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 The counterculture of the 1960s was an anti-establishment cultural phenomenon that developed throughout much of the Western world in the 1960s and has been ongoing to the present day. The aggregate movement gained momentum as the civil rights mo ...
* ''Rolling Stone'' charts * List of underground newspapers of the 1960s counterculture


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