By JOCELYN NOVECK
AP National Writer
NEW YORK – It’s hard to forget the haunting photo that leaked out early last year: Pop star Rihanna, her elegant face bruised and battered after a violent assault by her then-boyfriend, R&B singer Chris Brown.
Now, she’s appearing in something else shocking, though thankfully fictional: Rapper Eminem’s chart-topping “Love the Way You Lie,” a song (and now video) that graphically depicts a physically abusive relationship.
And the debate has begun: Is the song a treatise against (or apology for) domestic violence, or an irresponsible glorification of it? Or, is it something uncomfortable in between? And how exactly to explain the role of Rihanna, who has said she aims to help young people learn the lessons of her ordeal?