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mahatmakanejeeves

(62,596 posts)
36. Different story. That was UVa.
Fri Dec 13, 2024, 02:09 PM
Dec 13

Hat tip, The Cavalier Daily

News
10 years later — student journalists discuss retracted “Rolling Stone” article
How an unsubstantiated story shifted views on campus culture, gender violence and journalism itself


Thrown into the center of this journalistic implosion and activism on Grounds were student editors, writers and other staffers at The Cavalier Daily.

Photo by Sarah St. John | The Cavalier Daily
By Merrill Hart
November 24, 2024

Mairead Crotty, news writer during The Cavalier Daily’s 2014-15 term and Class of 2017 alumna, remembers reading the “horrifying” article in Clark library. The news made its way across Grounds, spreading between glowing screens as students passed the link to Facebook friends. ... Another former Cavalier Daily staffer’s first reaction was visceral: “Holy s—, that’s really intense.”

Ten years ago, “Rolling Stone” published its shock-inducing and now-retracted article, “A Rape on Campus” by Sabrina Erdely. The report featured a University student named Jackie who claimed she was violently gang-raped at a Phi Kappa Psi fraternity party during her first year. But what happens when a story so consequential is proven untrue?

The graphic narrative ignited protests both on Grounds and at a national level. It also stoked fears of toxic University culture, as Jackie alleged that her friends discouraged her from reporting the assault. Jackie also shared her experience navigating the sexual misconduct reporting process, overseen at the time by Assoc. Dean of Students Nicole Eramo, whose competence Erdely questioned in her article. In response, protestors demanded better treatment for sexual assault survivors along with structural change in the University’s case reporting process.

After receiving national attention and scrutiny, further investigations and fact checking caused Jackie’s testimony to unravel. “Rolling Stone” partially retracted the article Dec. 5, 2014, then issued a full retraction April 5, 2015, citing a loss of faith in its main source. The Columbia Journalism Review condemned the reporting as some of the year’s worst journalism.

{snip}

A Rape on Campus



Author: Sabrina Rubin Erdely
Subject: An alleged gang rape at a college fraternity
Set in: University of Virginia
Publisher: Rolling Stone
Publication date: November 19, 2014
Retracted: April 5, 2015

"A Rape on Campus" is a retracted, defamatory Rolling Stone magazine article written by Sabrina Erdely and originally published on November 19, 2014, that describes a purported group sexual assault at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville, Virginia. Rolling Stone retracted the story in its entirety on April 5, 2015. The article claimed that UVA student Jackie Coakley had been taken to a party hosted by UVA's Phi Kappa Psi fraternity by a fellow student and led to a bedroom to be gang raped by several fraternity members as part of a fraternity initiation ritual.

Jackie's account generated much media attention, and UVA President Teresa Sullivan suspended all fraternities. After other journalists investigated the article's claims and found significant discrepancies, Rolling Stone issued multiple apologies for the story. It has since been reported that Jackie may have invented portions of the story in an unsuccessful attempt to win the affections of a fellow student in whom she had a romantic interest. In a deposition given in 2016, Jackie stated that she believed her story at the time.

On January 12, 2015, Charlottesville Police officials told UVA that an investigation had failed to find any evidence confirming the events in the Rolling Stone article. UVA President Teresa Sullivan acknowledged that the story was discredited. Charlottesville Police officially suspended their four-month investigation on March 23, 2015, based on lack of credible evidence. The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism audited the editorial processes that culminated in the article being published. On April 5, 2015, Rolling Stone retracted the article and published the independent report on the publication's history.

UVA associate dean Nicole Eramo, the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, and several fraternity members later filed lawsuits against Erdely and Rolling Stone. Eramo was awarded $3 million by a jury who concluded that Rolling Stone defamed her with actual malice, and Rolling Stone settled the lawsuit with the fraternity for $1.65 million.

{snip}

Wed Nov 27, 2024: On November 19, 2014, "Rolling Stone" magazine published the story "A Rape on Campus."

Recommendations

2 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Having both a daughter and son around that age, I could see both sides -- till my elderly mother pnwmom Dec 13 #1
Everyone makes mistakes RandiFan1290 Dec 13 #2
Those mistakes are really humbling and they remind me never Mike 03 Dec 13 #3
I don't remember. Could you show me a link? pnwmom Dec 13 #4
The photo was reported and removed by the jury. RandiFan1290 Dec 13 #5
My husband knew it was a lie as soon as the story hit the news ms liberty Dec 13 #6
that house was torn down several years ago. cab67 Dec 13 #23
This is why you can't believe anything until there is proof. BlueTsunami2018 Dec 13 #7
I'm reminded of that football player in college, who was falsely accused. Archae Dec 13 #9
They made a movie about that case. cab67 Dec 13 #42
"I can easily find all those articles at DU from the spring of 2006 about his incident." Prairie Gates Dec 13 #8
It's what I do. mahatmakanejeeves Dec 13 #10
I bookmarked a few threads leading up to the election Polybius Dec 13 #30
You're lucky. As someone "new" here, I was called a troll. Self Esteem Dec 14 #51
I remember on here most everyone here were calling them scumbag rich kids who needed to be metaphorically AZLD4Candidate Dec 13 #11
Standing up for due process was a risky proposition at DU back then Shrek Dec 13 #12
It remains so. TheProle Dec 13 #31
Over the last week or so sarisataka Dec 13 #32
Thanks Crystal. Clouds Passing Dec 13 #13
My Reaction Exactly RobinA Dec 13 #18
The more the media amplify stories like that the less likely rape victims are to be believed. Clouds Passing Dec 13 #19
This is why prosecutors sometimes decline to prosecute those who lie about these things. cab67 Dec 13 #43
In the 1940s, my father rented a room in the home of a prison warden Jarqui Dec 13 #14
And what is nearly always left out of the discussion of this dsc Dec 13 #15
If these had been three poor kids instead of Duke athletes they would have likely gone to prison. jalan48 Dec 13 #16
I believe that you are correct. mahatmakanejeeves Dec 13 #17
one of the most disturbing aspects of this case... cab67 Dec 13 #20
I'm all for the remaining "Gang of 81" faculty members being required to publicly, not in a Tweet or a written statement Seeking Serenity Dec 14 #52
The whole follow-up from that was a travesty. cab67 Dec 14 #54
This was a tragic fiasco on so many levels. yardwork Dec 13 #21
I had to stay out of the discussions here back then GusBob Dec 13 #22
In 1992 my friend was accused by her girlfriend of rape. It was a flashpoint on campus LauraInLA Dec 13 #44
Do you mean "could not"? Bernardo de La Paz Dec 14 #49
Eeek! Yes, thanks for catching it! LauraInLA Dec 14 #50
Tawawna Brawley redux. Sneederbunk Dec 13 #24
The case that radicalized many against Democrats mathematic Dec 13 #25
People wanted them to be guilty because they were 3 white "affluent" young men cabotnn22 Dec 13 #26
I believed her, but I didn't comment publicly. Beakybird Dec 13 #27
I don't care what she has to say. Basso8vb Dec 13 #28
There's a lot of people that ended up wrong about this sitation Renew Deal Dec 13 #29
The statute of limitations in rape/ sexual assault cases Mr.Bill Dec 13 #33
I think it's always important to reserve judgement. LisaM Dec 13 #34
This message was self-deleted by its author GusBob Dec 13 #35
Different story. That was UVa. mahatmakanejeeves Dec 13 #36
oops GusBob Dec 13 #37
This is why you always assume innocence IbogaProject Dec 13 #38
Okay, fine... 18 years later I stand corrected Blue_Tires Dec 13 #39
Perhaps if she had been prosecuted for perjury she would not have had the opportunity to commit murder Jose Garcia Dec 13 #40
so she basically ruins several peoples lives with her lies and now, almost 20 years later Javaman Dec 13 #41
I agree with the sentiment, but suing her would just waste a bunch of the plaintiffs' money on lawyers fees. LauraInLA Dec 13 #45
You can't get blood from a stone. LisaL Dec 13 #46
Lack of proofreading leads to deformations too. . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Dec 14 #48
I'd sue if she left me deformed. cab67 Dec 14 #53
I believed her, and was very vocal about it here at the time. Moosepoop Dec 14 #47
Shame on her for real victims having more difficulty, and ruining these guys lives. Thinking of the reaction to the CEO electric_blue68 Dec 14 #55
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