Rolling Stone magazine issued an apology on Friday for discrepancies in the article it published about the alleged gang rape of a student at University of Virginia. According to the magazine, friends of the victim had expressed doubt about the woman’s account, while the fraternity has denied many important details.
Editors for Rolling Stone magazine decided not to contact the man “Jackie” claimed orchestrated the attack, nor were any of the men she claims participated in the attack contacted. Rolling Stone says it regrets that decision. Rolling Stone Managing Editor Will Dana tweeted that “the truth would have been better served” by hearing what these men had to say, CNN reported.
[quote text_size=”small” author=”– Rolling Stone statement”]
In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie’s account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced.
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Dana said the author of the article, Sabrina Rubin Erdely, was trying to be sensitive to the “unfair shame” that many women feel after they are assaulted, placing the fault on the magazine, ABC News reported.
The controversial story about an alleged gang rape of a woman named “Jackie” prompted an emergency meeting of the university’s governing board as well as an announcement of a zero tolerance approach toward sexual assault complaints at the school.
In the November 19 story of “Jackie,” the UVA study gave details from the night of the incident. The article charged that sexual assaults at the University of Virginia often go unreported, which caused embarrassment at the university and led to the suspension of all Greek life activities, USA Today reported.
The fraternity also spoke out. In a statement, Phi Kappa Psi said its initial doubts were strengthened as alumni and undergraduate members looked into the allegations.
The Rolling Stone article said “Drew” was a lifeguard at the time of the attack, but the fraternity found no record of a member who worked at the aquatic center at the time. “Jackie” also claimed she was raped by men at a party at the fraternity house that occurred four weeks into the school year. The chapter said it had no social event or function during the weekend of September 28, 2012.
