Rolling Stone, Blistered by Critical Report, Retracts Rape Article

[DonViejo]

Source: New York Times



Rolling Stone magazine retracted its article about a brutal gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity after the release of a report on Sunday that concluded the widely discredited article was the result of failures at every stage of the editorial process.

The report, published by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and commissioned by Rolling Stone, said the magazine failed to engage in “basic, even routine journalistic practice” to verify details of the ordeal that the magazine’s source, identified only as Jackie, described to the article’s author, Sabrina Rubin Erdely.

On Sunday, Ms. Erdely, in her first extensive comments since the story was cast into doubt, apologized to Rolling Stone’s readers, her colleagues and “any victims of sexual assault who may feel fearful as a result of my article.”

READ MORE »


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/06/business/media/blistered-by-critical-report-rolling-stone-retracts-article.html?emc=edit_na_20150405

[oberliner]

1. Sadly, much damage has already been done

Hopefully lessons have been learned.

[brentspeak]

2. Incredible that the article got published in the first place

But apparently, the incompetence and stupidity isn't likely to end:

"Mr. Wenner said Will Dana, the magazine’s managing editor, and the editor of the article, Sean Woods, would keep their jobs."

[progree]

3. Likewise, the article's author keeps her job

In an interview discussing Columbia’s findings, Jann S. Wenner, the publisher of Rolling Stone, acknowledged the piece’s flaws but said that it represented an isolated and unusual episode and that Ms. Erdely {{Sabrina Rubin Erdely}} would continue to write for the magazine.

... Mr. Dana said that the report was punishment enough for those involved, and that they did not deserve to lose their jobs because the article “was not the result of patterns in the work of these people.”

[shebolleth]

4. She deserves a salary cut nt

[marshall]

19. Could the magazine be protecting itself by keeping all responsible parties employed?

The lawsuits will likely begin--the university, the fraternity, the students, maybe even the "victim" herself, will be lining up to get their pound of flesh out of Rolling Stone. Maybe they want to maintain a united front by keeping everyone tied to the apron strings of the magazine.

[Psephos]

5. Why not? All the banksters kept their jobs after 2008.

It's the new normal. Incompetence, negligence, and unethical practices are now the ladder to the top.

[Blue_Tires]

18. Traditionally in the journalism industry, fucking up this badly was always a firing offense

actually, the people involved would have had the decency and good sense to hand in their resignation letters before they could get fired...

But we're now in the era of "new" media

[Psephos]

21. Exactly. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

33. Although it has to be said, AT LEAST Rolling Stone retracted the story...

Most newsrooms today don't even do that...

[Yupster]

6. Need to join this fraternity

I have a feeling they're going to be eating and living well the next few years.

[yeoman6987]

26. As they should

They went through heck this year. What a horrible situation especially for the Seniors. Hopefully a free grad education to the entire frat plus some bucks in restitution.

[alp227]

7. The URL for the article redirects to the retraction.

The original article: http://web.archive.org/web/20150403084411/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-20141119

[Man from Pickens]

8. Rolling Stone ought to be shut down

The damage it has done to the University of Virginia is incalculable and unfixable.

The individuals at Rolling Stone in the production process should be personally liable for extreme negligence.

"Jackie" ought to have her real name revealed to the public, since she is a perpetrator and not a victim.

Conspiracy charges with jail time should be considered for "Jackie" and the entire chain of authors and editors who permitted this piece.

Also, everyone who jumped on the bandwagon ought to think twice - no, ten times - about boarding the next hate train that pulls up in the station.

This is an absolute disgrace.

[Recursion]

10. Oh BS. UVa was already under Federal investigation for how it handles sexual assault

The damage it has done to the University of Virginia is incalculable and unfixable.

Balderdash. UVa will remain the destination of choice for cardigan-wearing field hockey players who could not get into Duke throughout the Mid-Atlantic. It will remain the #2 public university in the country. It still will have a premiere astrophysics program and a dubious but popular law school. The Cavaliers will continue to make it to playoffs and choke.

[rpannier]

11. You do realize they were under investigation by the feds before this

To say they should shut down Rolling Stone is just stupid

[KittyWampus]

14. the way the University of Virginia deals with rape is the real disgrace.

An editorial in the NYTimes this past weekend indicates a rapist gets a letter put into his file which gets removed when he graduates.

[Recursion]

35. Or he gets kicked out. The survivor group that connected the reporter with Jackie praised UVA

for the changes they had been making.

For that matter, I still don't get how Jackie's story supports the idea that UVA handles sexual assault badly. The President met with her in person, told her of her rights if she wanted to file a criminal complaint with the police, told her that separate from that she could initiate either a formal or informal disciplinary process within the University, and said that both decisions were hers and the President's office would support her either way.

What exactly is wrong with that?

[MADem]

9. Shitty reporting, made worse by shitty, nonexistent editing and oversight, caused this disaster.

"Ms. Erdely" was a lousy, crappy, tunnel-visioned reporter, but ROLLING STONE was a disgraceful rag that deserves to have their ass detached and handed to them on a plate. They did NO EDITING. They did NO OVERSIGHT. They checked NO FACTS. They just went with a story that 'sounded good' because they value money over truth.

They have set back the cause of sexual assault reporting a thousand steps with this hot mess they dished up, and they should be ashamed. They've screwed themselves, their readers, and victims of violence. They should be called to account.

It's not the first time they got all dramatic and salacious just for newsstand sales--but hopefully this raking over the coals will be the first of many for LOTS of publications...the NYT has deserved this kind of treatment for some of the shit they've published in the last decade, and they've gotten off light. That needs to end. There needs to be accountability in reporting, editing, and publishing, and when people misstate or bullshit, they need to be called on it and FEEL CONSEQUENCES. Too long, these so-called news outlets, print and other media, have been allowed to fuck up and not take any real blame for their crappy, sloppy work. That can't change soon enough.

[RobinA]

15. Gotta Disagree

Rolling Stone did some damage here on several levels, including to themselves. However, they have been doing good work for years and i would not like to see them go away. Mistakes were made on all kinds of levels, it would appear, and i would like to see them fix the mistakes and move on.

I hope this is a caution for future reporting, not only at RS but at all major news outlets. We need reliable print journalisim. I watch "All the President's Men" periodically and notice that the caution they took in reporting seems quaint by todays journalistic standards that seem largely to involve reprorting what other news outlets are reporting while adding nothing.

I would welcome better journalistic standards in print reporting and maybe this will be a small step in that direction.

[MADem]

16. Who said they need to go away? They need to get correct is what they need to do.

This is not the first time they've stuck their ... foot... in it. They can be a tabloid piece of shit that used to cover the music scene, or they can do serious reporting. Apparently they can't do either well, these days.

[Democat]

17. Post #8 said the magazine should be shut down

That is probably who the previous poster was replying to.

[MADem]

27. That might have been their intent, but they responded to me! nt

[Democat]

12. There are DU posters who believe that "victims" stories should never be questioned

This article is the result of that mentality.

Potential assault victims should always be treated with respect, but facts must be verified before lives are ruined.

[Warren DeMontague]

13. Took em long enough.

It's been well known that the story was a complete fabrication, for months.

[closeupready]

20. Reportedly, the fraternity is suing The Rolling Stone -

U-Va. fraternity announces lawsuit against Rolling Stone

The University of Virginia chapter of Phi Kappa Psi announced Monday that the fraternity house will file a lawsuit against Rolling Stone, calling the magazine’s reporting that described an alleged gang-rape by some of its members “reckless.”

The lawsuit comes a day after Rolling Stone editors retracted a Nov. 19 story “A Rape on Campus,” that portrayed the chilling account of brutal sexual assault allegedly occurring in the Phi Kappa Psi house at U-Va. in 2012. A Columbia University report issued Sunday described significant lapses by the magazine’s staff while reporting the gang-rape allegations and the story’s writer, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, and the publication’s managing editor, Will Dana, apologized for the deeply flawed account.

“The report by Columbia University’s School of Journalism demonstrates the reckless nature in which Rolling Stone researched and failed to verify facts in its article that erroneously accused Phi Kappa Psi of crimes its members did not commit,” said Stephen Scipione, U-Va. chapter president of Phi Kappa Psi. “This type of reporting serves as a sad example of a serious decline of journalistic standards.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2015/04/06/u-va-fraternity-announces-lawsuit-against-rolling-stone/

I doubt this will succeed, but the anger is definitely understandable.

[Calista241]

22. Why would they not succeed?

Rolling Stone flat out lied in their report. They didn't "mis-construe" or "mis-interpret", they flat out lied. That reporter was interviewed on NPR, and she said she interviewed people that she never talked to.

Those fraternity students suffered real harm from this "story." Their organization was suspended from UVA. Several of the members withdrew from school, and others suffered ridicule and other forms of retribution.

[closeupready]

23. It's VERY hard to successfully sue a media organization. Certainly, they are free to try.

I just don't think this is a slam dunk.

[closeupready]

24. In reading both the NY Times piece and Coll's actual assessment, I do not see any lying

on the part of The Rolling Stone - no such admission from anyone at The Rolling Stone, nor in the assessment of the Columbia professor RS hired to impartially review and assess this fiasco.

But you seem to be alleging in your post that the reporter admitted (on NPR) to lying about her own reporting in the original RS rape investigation, if I am reading your post correctly. If that is so, can you please provide a link.

[Calista241]

25. It's NPR's Boston station. Link below.

The actual comment is at the 2:40 mark in the story.

http://www.wbur.org/npr/397696712/report-on-retracted-rolling-stone-rape-story-cites-systematic-failing

[newblewtoo]

29. Ouch.

A good attorney, sympathetic jury, with this tape could be a problem. Hopefully RS is well insured. An out of court settlement may be the best way to go. I do not see the reporter recovering, ritualistic suicide might be an option, professional already having been committed.

[doxyluv13]

31. RS will certainly try to settle this suit.

For the reasons you mention, newbietoo, and because a trial would just damage their reputation more. But also, they could loose on basis of libel law. One of the standards that makes it possible for a Public Figure to win a libel case is "reckless disregard for the truth". The incident where they contacted the frat for comment without confronting them with the actual allegations, seems like reckless disregard for the truth" in that "reckless disregard" means to be grossly negligent without concern for harm to others.

[yeoman6987]

28. Yeah!

and I hope it succeeds. Why should the accused not be compensated for being vilified for months on end. Suspended from frat and school. How do you think their grades were during this tramatic time? They should end up owning the RS and the school by time it is done. Their lives are forever tarnished. Employers Google names for employment and if they see accused rapist they may not get the job. This is so tragic for the accused. I just hope they can get passed it successfully.

[closeupready]

30. Those are excellent points. And to think here on DU last week,

someone posted an op-ed written by a feminist along the lines of, 'men are essentially horrible; and even if men are being lied about and aren't as bad as some of us radical feminists espouse, it doesn't matter.' And it got dozens of recs!

That is, when it comes to males and men, the truth doesn't matter. That's the kind of intellectual slop that feeds an antagonistic mentality which helps give rise to this kind of journalistic incompetence and irresponsibility.

[yeoman6987]

32. Yikes! Hopefully MIR took care of it.

[Paladin]

34. Genuinely unfortunate. The misogynists will be dining on this for years to come. (nt)