UVA and the alleged frat rape - Rolling Stone backpedals

Not a bad observation. I bet some of it stems from Rolling Stone pretty constantly calling out the Beltway media for not being tough enough on Congress, etc.

 

I think it's a little odd that Jackie's real first name was used. If you're going to protect her, protect her, no?

 

Erdely was going for truthiness there.

 

Her name's Barry, but Erdely (or someone on the desk) forgot to put the footnote in there.

 

Based on everything that has come out at this point, my working theory of "most likely scenario" is that:

(1) Jackie got shit-face schmammered early in her freshman semester;

(2) She ended up in a situation with some men on campus, possibly at a fraternity house, where she participated in some sort of group sex activity - likely oral sex, as that was what she first told her friends - where she was hazy afterward on whether she did or did not give consent;

(3) Going through that experience, along with the welcoming nature of the victim advocacy community on campus, convinced her that her calling, her cause, was rape prevention and survivor advocacy;

(4) For some unknown reason, she kept adding to and embellishing her own story. Perhaps because she thought it better served the cause. Perhaps because she liked the attention and sympathy. Probably some combination of the two.

And here we are.

This is just a working theory. Other scenarios are possible. Everything from Jackie was never sexually assaulated at all to Jackie was sexually assaulted exactly like the Rolling Stone piece says, and everyone else is lying. Unlikely, but there you go.

 

Jackie's dad speaks up and I thought Jackie was a nickname

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2865965/My-daughter-told-truth-Father-girl-center-University-Virginia-gang-rape-storm-defends-20-year-old-saying-raped-simply-mistake-fraternity-attack-happened.html

Main claim is she misidentified the fraternity but doesn't say a new one.

 

"I know it was Phi Psi." - Jackie to the Washington Post this week.

 

schmammered?

 

That's pretty funny. As I've sought out some of her stories, I'm finding my bullshit detector goes off with every one of them.

 

Forget it. He's been drinking.

 

Interesting update: Woods (the editor of the piece) tried to resign, Wenner refused his resignation.

http://observer.com/2014/12/source-rolling-stone-editor-tendered-resignation-wenner-declines/#ixzz3LQq1wjTN

RS is also re-reporting the piece, according to a source, to explain what went wrong. There is some discussing in here about fact-checking, but it's vague. Not clear why it slipped through.

I stand by my belief that Erdely misled her own editors here, and they're trying to figure out how to deal with that. I refused to believe the fact-checking failed THIS badly without some intentional misdirection.

 

When did Erdely learn "Drew's" real name?

She's said both that she couldn't find an updated frat membership list, and also that she didn't try to reach these guys.

If Drew didn't belong to the frat named, and the fact checkers had his name, it seems pretty cut and dry that this would be something you could confirm or not.