Posted on 04/06/2015 5:21:12 AM PDT by outpostinmass2
“The past few months, since my Rolling Stone article “A Rape on Campus” was first called into question, have been among the most painful of my life. Reading the Columbia account of the mistakes and misjudgments in my reporting was a brutal and humbling experience. I want to offer my deepest apologies: to Rolling Stone’s readers, to my Rolling Stone editors and colleagues, to the U.V.A. community, and to any victims of sexual assault who may feel fearful as a result of my article.
“Over my 20 years of working as an investigative journalist — including at Rolling Stone, a magazine I grew up loving and am honored to work for — I have often dealt with sensitive topics and sources. In writing each of these stories I must weigh my compassion against my journalistic duty to find the truth. However, in the case of Jackie and her account of her traumatic rape, I did not go far enough to verify her story. I allowed my concern for Jackie’s well-being, my fear of re-traumatizing her, and my confidence in her credibility to take the place of more questioning and more facts. These are mistakes I will not make again.
“Reporting on rape has unique challenges, but the journalist still has the responsibility to get it right. I hope that my mistakes in reporting this story do not silence the voices of victims that need to be heard.”
(Excerpt) Read more at jewishbusinessnews.com ...
Rolling Stone publisher Jann S. Wenner said the story was a lie, but argued that it represented an isolated case, and declared that Erdely continues to work for his magazine.
Publish a fake story, with serious implications, then simply apologize! Wow!
Let's start with a slight but honest re-edit:
In writing each of these stories I must weigh my compassion agenda against my journalistic duty to find the truth.
There it is in a nutshell.
She didn’t even apologize to the real victim of her zeal.
She subscribes to the broken-windows theory of journalism; the more broken windows her journalism causes, the better.
> Rolling Stone publisher Jann S. Wenner said the story was a lie, but argued that it represented an isolated case, and declared that Erdely continues to work for his magazine.
The problem was she got caught. This is what happens in the journalistiv field if you don’t have discernment and rush your stories into publication without verifying your sources. Women that lie about being raped will lie about anything. If she would have checked with some of the people that have known her for years that story probably wouldn’t have been published.
The Columbia Journalism Report is quite detailed and makes interesting reading.
They question everything and ask all the right questions.
Except
They never once question the phenomenon of organized, Federally required and Federally-funded groups of “survivors”, membership in which is attained by unsupported oral statements, and carries with it, among other things, lots of personal attention and relief from some of the less desirable aspects of highly competitive college life.
The phenomenon of being a self-declared “survivor of sexual assault” is a complete novelty, not subject to reality testing or even to dispute. There are now many examples that have made their way into the media (and, therefore, presumably many more that have not) wherein the accused male student has been acquitted in a court, or states have declined to prosecute, or even (in the Columbia University mattress girl case) where the local kangaroo court has found the male student innocent, wherein the constant slander against the accused and support for the “survivor” continue.
THAT is the real cause of the Rolling Stone contretemps. It’s a shame that the report did not even mention it.
broken-windows theory of democrats
A true apology would be an admission of responsibility (why do you think they're blaming Jackie?) and would seal their fate in the libel suits that are certain to come.
UVA is trying to thread the same needle.
The Rolling Stone response just added about 50 million dollars to the frat’s lawsuit settlement.
What dopes.
.
I rest my case
Forget the apology, how much are you sending to the Frat?
Pray America is waking
Considering the harm that this giant lie has done, I think those that were hurt by RS need to go to court.
And then there’s this, buried at the very bottom of the AP story.
“Nonetheless, the article heightened scrutiny of campus sexual assaults amid a campaign by President Barack Obama.”
Coincidence? I think not.
” In writing each of these stories I must weigh my compassion against my journalistic duty to find the truth.”
Why doesn’t the free market provide us with a media outlet (print or broadcast) that doesn’t feel compelled to weigh other factors against reporting the facts (i.e. the truth)? One would think an outlet staffed with journalists who practiced integrity would have plenty of customers.
Since the Watergate days the media has been obsessed with cause and social agenda “investigative” reporting. It is unfortunate a few media outlets, and the journalism schools don’t use incidents such as this one, to campaign for a restoration of integrity in reporting and the separation of reporting from political and social commentary.
The integrity of Rolling Stone, if they ever had any to begin with, should be considered in the toilet by keeping this “journalist” on staff.
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