Part 2

In Part 2 Gibney and Foster do a remarkable job of explaining the challenges that Rolling Stone faces, while still celebrating its significance. “The gossip crept in,” complains the late Hunter S. Thompson, the king of the gonzo journalism style that informed so much of the magazine’s non-music coverage. “Bon Jovi and whatever color he paints his fingernails is more important than the fact that Ronald Reagan is president.” Much to Thompson’s chagrin, Rolling Stone went from championing the counterculture to protecting its view of the mainstream. The documentary includes carping from some reporters who complain about how the magazine was slow to recognize the power of punk and hip-hop. Also to everyone’s credit, there is a lengthy discussion of the magazine’s missteps in its now-discredited story about a rape on the University of Virginia campus.