Rolling Stone clarifies its apology on UVA story

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By FREDERIC J. FROMMER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rolling Stone has clarified its apology over a story that had reported a female student was gang-raped at a University of Virginia fraternity — telling readers the mistakes were the magazine's fault, not the alleged victim's.

The original note to readers, issued Friday, said its trust in the alleged victim, Jackie, was misplaced. The updated note removes that line, which struck some critics as blaming the victim.

The updated message from Rolling Stone adds some details calling into question its original story. Rolling Stone notes that the fraternity has denied the assault, and said there was no event there on the night Jackie alleged she was raped. And the magazine says that Jackie is now unsure that the man who lured into a room to be raped was a member of the fraternity.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141208/us-uva-fraternity-rolling-stone-f7fd04f6bc.html

[George II]

1. So what is the REAL story? Will Rolling Stone publish that?

[LisaL]

4. How would anybody figure out what the real story is?

[yeoman6987]

7. Whoever finds out the real story,

The last place I want to hear from is Rolling Stones. They need to stick with music. Less to screw up with.

[graegoyle]

2. I don't know what happened, but...

All I can think is: Of course you believe the frat; they ALWAYS admit to rape right away.

(Just in case; and I'm not saying I believe or disbelieve; it's just seems like typical victim-blaming.)

[LisaL]

3. Who are they?

[George II]

6. If no one seems to know what happened, the "story" should never have been reported as it was

[Skittles]

15. it's not a they said/she said issue

the problem here is story seems to have been far from vetted before it was published - how hard would it have been to find out if there had been a fraternity event on the night in question? I'm inclined to believe something happened but facts are facts.

[PoliticAverse]

5. Sounds like they might need a new editor over there. n/t

[yeoman6987]

8. Why is a music rag doing this story?

It makes no sense. They need to discuss music only and leave real reporting to the experts. They need to go back to popcorn stories that don't affect people's lives.

[TexasProgresive]

10. Rolling Stone is not and never has been stictly a "music rag"

In the first issue the founder and editor Jann Wenner wrote that Rolling Stone "is not just about the music, but about the things and attitudes that music embraces."

In the 1970s, Rolling Stone began to make a mark for its political coverage, with the likes of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson writing for the magazine's political section. Thompson would first publish 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, Patti Smith and P. J. O'Rourke. It was at this point that the magazine ran some of its most famous stories, including that of the Patty Hearst abduction odyssey. One interviewer, speaking for large numbers of his peers, said that he bought his first copy of the magazine upon initial arrival on his college campus, which he described as a "rite of passage".[2]

Rolling Stone was known for its musical coverage and for Thompson's political reporting. 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.[2] In recent years, the magazine has resumed its traditional mix of content, including in-depth political stories. It also has expanded content to include coverage of financial and banking issues. As a result, the magazine has seen its circulation increase and its reporters invited as experts to network television programs of note.[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone

[Omaha Steve]

12. Rolling Stone has done a lot of excellent political reporting

Must be the bias against the liberal media at work here.

[Odin2005]

9. Rape victims should sue RS to Hell.

They just legitimized every sexist myth about women lying about rape.

[Android3.14]

11. It's rare, but not a myth

It sounds to me that after the story came out, the accuser's account began to disintegrate under further scrutiny. RS should have double- and triple-checked the story.

[truedelphi]

14. I trhink what is going on is that there is no way to

offer proof at this point in time.

The below is worth considering, as to whether "Jackie" should be believed, or not:
From "Jezebel"
And given Jackie's increasing reluctance, if RS reporter Erdely wasn't willing to take her out of the story, she should have at the very least made her far less easily identifiable. Because now, predictably, conservative blogger and seeping asshole Chuck C. Johnson has published what he says is her full name, along with screenshots from what he called her "rape-obsessed Pinterest page," and proof, he says, that the girl " has lied about sexual assaults in the past." (Despite his zeal in outing Jackie, Johnson has a rich history of threatening people who expose his highly sensitive personal information, like the phone number he's tweeted himself.)

Jackie's suitemate her freshman year has written a letter to UVA's student paper, saying strongly that she doesn't believe the girl made up her story: "I fully support Jackie, and I believe wholeheartedly that she went through a traumatizing sexual assault," she wrote. She says it was Jackie's mistrust in Rolling Stone that was misplaced, not vice-versa, and adds: "[T]he articles released in the past few days have been troubling to me, and the responses to them even more so. While I cannot say what happened that night, and I cannot prove the validity of every tiny aspect of her story to you, I can tell you that this story is not a hoax, a lie or a scheme. Something terrible happened to Jackie at the hands of several men who have yet to receive any repercussions."

[dariomax]

16. Breaking: At 2pm police is holding a press conference on the results of their investigation

http://news.yahoo.com/police-press-conference-on-uva-rolling-stone-rape-investigation-covered-live-by-katie-couric-205013344.html

[mahatmakanejeeves]

13. Jezebel: The UVA Mess

The UVA Mess