Friday, December 5, 2014

“I didn’t want a trial” Jackie said: Rolling Stone Magazine Apologizes to Readers

"Several key aspects of the account of a gang rape offered by a University of Virginia student in Rolling Stone magazine have been cast into doubt, including the date of the alleged attack and details about the alleged attacker, according to interviews and a statement from the magazine backing away from the article."
Helen Dragas, a member of the university’s governing Board of Visitors, said Friday that U-Va. needs to continue its focus on preventing sexual assault.

“Despite doubts that have been cast on the Rolling Stone story, we need to keep our eyes on the prize, which is nothing less than zero tolerance for rape,” Dragas said. “There will be time enough to look back and ask hard questions of our administrators about how rapes have gone unreported and unanswered, and I have no doubt our Board of Visitors will do just that. But for now our primary concern must be for the well-being of our students. We need to get this right for them, and do so with no hesitation or concern for image.”

Capt. Gary Pleasants of the Charlottesville Police Department said detectives are looking into the allegations at the request of the university but declined to comment on the status of that investigation.

Rolling Stone’s editors apologized to readers for discrepancies in the story, issuing a statement and posting it on their Web site. Will Dana, Rolling Stone’s managing editor, said there is fresh doubt about the account.

“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,” he said in the statement.

Speaking for the first time since the details of her alleged sexual assault were published in Rolling Stone, the 20-year-old U-Va. junior told The Post that she stands by her version of the events.

16 comments:

Shouting Thomas said...

Another hoax.

A new one will pop up within a few days.

Martyr manufacture.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

What is it about this narrative that seems to hold sway over otherwise intelligent people?

A supposed campus rape epidemic that keeps blowing up in their face every time a new allegation surfaces.

no pun intended..

Fr Martin Fox said...

Here's my thing...

I looked at this a few days back, and I saw a number of holes; and I saw the author of the piece -- a professional journalist -- huffing and being defensive...

As were so many other "professional journalists" who rode to her defense.

Well, guess what? The key problem was...lousy work by the journalist.

What the real story with the woman who says she was raped we still don't know.

But it still amazes me (it shouldn't, because I used to work in media relations) that so many journalists can be such hacks.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the offices of Rolling Stone right now, as they huddle with their attorneys...

Fr Martin Fox said...

By the way, RS only sorta-but-not-really apologized.

It was one of those, "to those who were offended" non-apologies.

An apology is direct, without hedging.

Unknown said...

Journalism in America - it's that bad.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

That apology is so weak its as thought they are standing by the story.

Which is puzzling... I mean, it either happened, the way the woman says it did, or it didn't happen, in which case the magazine needs to correct more forcefully. imhop

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The timing of this news ... when you juxtapose her claim that she "didn't want a trial" with the current loud demonstrations asking for the trial of a cop elsewhere.

Curious how events sometimes coincide a if in concert to make a point.

Or maybe I'm too immerse into the swamp and I need to back off.

Christmas is just around the corner.

Trooper York said...

Stolen Dishonor.

Trooper York said...

There is only one person who is in favor of rape not being reported or prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Trooper York said...

Bill Clinton.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

A tweet says...

Her name is not "Jackie." That's made up. Who is she? How do we know? Put her on the record, until then, fiction.

Amartel said...

"I didn't want a trial."
=
I didn't want my sob story questioned.

She just wanted her personal oppression story. Is that too much to ask, world? Everybody's got one. Everybody who's anybody anyway. You can't effectively scold others/society and demand social justice, fairness and equality without a good personal sob story to lend credibility. Without it you're just another bossy jackboot. Hence, Oppression Kabuki Theater brought to you by Guilty Prog Theater.

How many other lefty oppression narratives are bullshit?
Elizabeth Warren? Not an Indian. In fact she probably descends from people who oppressed Indians. Hilarious.
Ward Churchill? Whitey McWhiteman.
James Ware - federal judge here in Northern District of CA. Faked an oppression story for years. And he's black already!
(Piling on, Judge Ware ....)
There's many many more. All those fake rape and racism at college stories. Anyone who's ever faked an "authentic voter" accent (Hillary! and Oblamer both). It's to the point where I just don't believe any of it any more. There needs to be actual evidence (missing limb, police report, somebody convicted) before I will believe.

rcocean said...

I loved the part about her friends not wanting her to report the Gang rape because then they wouldn't be invited back to the Frat.

I mean glass chards, beer bottles, and gang rape.

No wonder they wanted to be invited back. What girl could resist?

rcocean said...

And that Frat sure was popular. Imagine committing a Class A felony punishable with 20 Years in prison, just to get in. And be willing to trust all your frat brothers to keep it secret.

That was one hell of a Frat.

rcocean said...

There was a lot of Glass in the article. Reminded me of Stephen Glass of NR fame.

Inside Joke by the RS reporter?

William said...

Sexual harassment is a problem, and not just for women. I live in NYC where it's especially bad. In a practice that's as unhygienic as it is unseemly, when I'm out dining women frequently take their panties off, write their phone number on them, and throw those undergarments at me. Victoria Secret models are the worst offenders. They have such a sense of entitlement. Can't I just eat my waffles in peace, but it's NY and what are you going to do........I told an RS reporter about this problem. He's going to do a feature article about it for next month's issue. He just has to check out a few details, but it looks solid.