Community Chat

[tansy]

Did Rolling Stone state that no one would be fired? One wrong story, with a strong apology, is not the death knell for a good magazine.

[Plaid Pants2]

Did something bad happen to "Jackie"? I don't know. I wasn't there. None of us were there.

But, if the claims made can't be proven, that doesn't mean that something didn't happen.

But, because of RS not having checked their facts, it makes it harder for women who are raped to come forward, for fear of not being believed.

[Irshgrl31201]

On 4/6/2015 SuiGeneris said:

Most people thought that the Boston Bomber Rolling Stone cover should have been this:

instead of this:

I heard many people canceled subscriptions after this one, or at least said they were going to.

One of the problems with this journalists apology was that no apology was made to the frat. To everyone else but them.

[MomOf4]

I think this definitely will make it more difficult for a girl who actually is raped by anybody on campus (fraternity or not) to come forward.

All this because some magazine wanted to up their sales. No disciplinary action taken is disgraceful.

Eliminating sororities and fraternities is no answer IMO.

[Barbara in Virginia]

On 4/6/2015 Plaid Pants said:

Did something bad happen to "Jackie"? I don't know. I wasn't there. None of us were there.

But, if the claims made can't be proven, that doesn't mean that something didn't happen.

But, because of RS not having checked their facts, it makes it harder for women who are raped to come forward, for fear of not being believed.

There is pretty common agreement that "something happened" to Jackie. It is still not known if the story Rolling Stone printed was what Jackie actually told them or if they embellished it to make a more sensational story.

It also could have been a composite of several different stories. Rolling Stone would not let Jackie fact check the article prior to publication. Something doesn't smell right to me!

In talking with friends who are parents/grandparents of UVA students, this kind of thing DOES happen on the UVA campus as well as others. I heard those stories well before the Rolling Stone story came out.

[melfie]

A snip from the RS article "Rolling Stone and UVA: The Columbia University Graduate School Of Journalism Report An Anatomy of a Journalistic Failure."

"A week after publication, on the day before Thanksgiving, Erdely (writer for RS) spoke with Jackie by phone. "She thanked me many times," Erdely said. Jackie seemed "adrenaline-charged … feeling really good."

Erdely chose this moment to revisit the mystery of the lifeguard who had lured Jackie and overseen her assault. Jackie's unwillingness to name him continued to bother Erdely. Apparently, the man was still dangerous and at large. "This is not going to be published," the writer said, as she recalled. "Can you just tell me?"

Jackie gave Erdely a name. But as the reporter typed, her fingers stopped. Jackie was unsure how to spell the lifeguard's last name. Jackie speculated aloud about possible variations.

"An alarm bell went off in my head," Erdely said. How could Jackie not know the exact name of someone she said had carried out such a terrible crime against her – a man she professed to fear deeply?

Over the next few days, worried about the integrity of her story, the reporter investigated the name Jackie had provided, but she was unable to confirm that he worked at the pool, was a member of the fraternity Jackie had identified or had other connections to Jackie or her description of her assault. She discussed her concerns with her editors. Her work faced new pressures. The writer Richard Bradley had published early if speculative doubts about the plausibility of Jackie's account. Writers at Slate had challenged Erdely's reporting during a podcast interview. She also learned that T. Rees Shapiro, a Washington Post reporter, was preparing a story based on interviews at the University of Virginia that would raise serious doubts about Rolling Stone's reporting.

Late on Dec. 4, Jackie texted Erdely, and the writer called back. It was by now after midnight. "We proceeded to have a conversation that led me to have serious doubts," Erdely said."

[SydneyH]

On 4/6/2015 SnowPink said:

Wasn't it Rolling Stone that made Tsarnaev (the man who blew off Americans limbs and killed a little boy) into some sexy rock star?

The photo on the cover was taken by someone else, some stores in New England removed the magazine from their inventory. I no longer shop in those stores.

[ms traditional]

what goes around comes around, RS. this is not journalism - but has been passing for it for a while - the "fake but accurate" school of fabrication. good for Columbia for trying to clean up its profession.

[scotttie]

On 4/6/2015 Barbara in Virginia said:

On 4/6/2015 Plaid Pants said:

Did something bad happen to "Jackie"? I don't know. I wasn't there. None of us were there.

But, if the claims made can't be proven, that doesn't mean that something didn't happen.

But, because of RS not having checked their facts, it makes it harder for women who are raped to come forward, for fear of not being believed.

There is pretty common agreement that "something happened" to Jackie. It is still not known if the story Rolling Stone printed was what Jackie actually told them or if they embellished it to make a more sensational story.

It also could have been a composite of several different stories. Rolling Stone would not let Jackie fact check the article prior to publication. Something doesn't smell right to me!

In talking with friends who are parents/grandparents of UVA students, this kind of thing DOES happen on the UVA campus as well as others. I heard those stories well before the Rolling Stone story came out.

I am sure that is true and that is what makes this phony article all the more agregious. As others have said, the next girl who actually has been attacked...will she be believed? Will anyone dare tell her story?

[Irshgrl31201]

On 4/6/2015 SydneyH said:

On 4/6/2015 SnowPink said:

Wasn't it Rolling Stone that made Tsarnaev (the man who blew off Americans limbs and killed a little boy) into some sexy rock star?

The photo on the cover was taken by someone else, some stores in New England removed from magazine from their inventory. I no longer shop in those stores.

I don't think she is suggesting that RS took the picture, simply that they put that on the cover instead of something more appropriate.