Discussion
  • Read More
    emfish55Anna Merlan
    6/29/16 10:11am

    I’m still angry at Erdely in this situation, but also find it pretty unfair (and a little ironic) that she’s the only one in this situation whose reputation as truly been destroyed. Jackie remains protected by anonymity, UVA and Phi Kappa Psi have been redeemed in the public eye (rightly or not — we can’t know), and Rolling Stone benefits from a long history and our short memories.

    She made a massive mistake. She could have and should have been better protected by her editors, who allowed her to get away with some shoddy journalism. She’s earned her current situation, and I don’t know what the best way to redeem herself is, but I do think she probably deserved the chance at some point.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      Nefret Emersonemfish55
      6/29/16 10:15am

      I disagree. I honestly do not think that Erdely should ever be able to get work as a journalist again. She wanted to write a sensationalist article and she did, without doing her due diligence, and in doing so I genuinely think that she set back the national discourse about campus sexual assault.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      CnslrNachosemfish55
      6/29/16 10:17am

      I think you’re probably understating the damage this has done to Rolling Stone’s brand (in certain circles). Erdley deserves the lion’s share of the blame because it was her job to vet the story, but I agree that her editors too probably deserve a more public shaming for allowing this to occur.

      Regarding her chance at redemption... She’ll probably get it, though I’m not sure I share your belief that she deserves it.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    TotoroRecallAnna Merlan
    6/29/16 10:40am

    Question for journalists out there: How do you verify or fact-check a story like this? I can come up with 1. hospital records 2. rape kits but given the appalling state of things in our country (all those “lost” rape kits, the fact that a lot of people don’t get the help they need or go to the authorities) it seems really hard to verify without a slam dunk rape case already.

    Does this mean in good journalism that rape stories of this length (beyond a brief reporting of “so-and-so accuses X) can only take place after a guilty trial? Or is it enough to print “we tried to reach X, no answer” or “X denies all allegations.”

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      Jane, you ignorant slut.TotoroRecall
      6/29/16 11:04am

      Attempting to verify if the accused rapist even exists (which he didn’t) would be a good start.

      Reply
      <
    • Read More
      TakahashiTotoroRecall
      6/29/16 11:12am

      I’m a PR flack. There were several things she could have done.

      Verified that a guy named Haven was on the fraternity roster for that time.

      Verify that he was a lifeguard.

      Verify there was a party that night. (There wasn’t.)

      Talk to Nicole Eramo instead of quoting Jackie’s conversation with her verbatim.

      Talk to anyone at the fraternity.

      Her main source of everything was Jackie, which ironically played into the Perfect Victim bullshit that the public seems to prefer. Sabrina bought into it and probably didn’t mean to but she knew it’d get people’s attention... For all the wrong reasons.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    bagoflettersAnna Merlan
    6/29/16 10:15am

    I mean she didn’t even bother to actually verify her story, and by doing so gave apologists a giant target to point at in the "false rape claim" argument that always comes up. I'm not surprised she went underground afterward.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      potterpoetbagofletters
      6/29/16 12:21pm

      Worse, it seems pretty clear Erdely knew something was up with Jackie but was hellbent on including her in the article anyway -even to the point of excusing away not being willing to even try to verify anything in her story- because it so nicely bookended with the Liz Seccuro case.

      Reply
      <
  • Read More
    SipowitzAnna Merlan
    6/29/16 10:09am

    she hasn’t tweeted since November 30, 2014.

    Trump, take note.

    Reply
    <
    • Read More
      BDCBAnna Merlan
      6/29/16 10:31am

      Nevertheless, Rolling Stone has agreed to give Phi Kappa Psi's Keg Race Mixtape 3 out of 5 stars, in a gesture of goodwill.

      Reply
      <