A Rape on Campus. The Analysis

Rolling Stone is an American monthly magazine that focuses on popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its coverage of rock music and for political reporting by Hunter S. Thompson.

Sabrina Rubin Erdely, redactor of Rolling Stone, was looking for a unique and iconic case of rape in American universities and, in early 2014, the story of who knew the world simply as "Jackie" comes to her, a girl who told that in September 2012 a third-year student she knew as a lifeguard at the university's aquatic center had invited her to her "first fraternity party" and it was there that she was the victim of rape by 7 young initiators of the Fraternity who were led by the mentioned "Lifeguards".

The fact was basically documented with the victim's stories, and even though in several interviews the editor felt inconsistent in the story, the strength of Jackie's stories convinced her that the story was true. For Erdely, the stone of the shoe was always the one that Jackie did not want to reveal the name of the lifeguard who had organized the attack against her. She said she was still afraid of him. That led to tense exchanges between Erdely and Jackie, but the confrontation ended when Rolling Stone's editors decided to go ahead without knowing the lifeguard's name or verifying its existence.

Sabrina Rubin Erdely is a former journalist and American magazine reporter, who in 2014 authored an article in Rolling Stone describing the alleged rape of a University of Virginia student by several fraternity members. The article would later be discredited.

Finally, and after the magazine verified the version with Jackie, the article was published on November 19, 2014. The online story drew more than 2.7 million visits, more than any other article previously published by the magazine other than about a celebrity.

A week after the publication, Erdely managed to get Jackie to tell her the name of the lifeguard and that was when the alarms went off since the victim did not know how to specify the subject's last name, which seemed impossible for the journalist. because of the importance that name had in Jackie's life.

UVA - University of Virginia

Erdely investigated the alleged name and found no relationship with the university, which forced her to speak with Sean Woods, editor of Rolling Stone, who after the investigations wrote a note from the editors where they retracted for lack of evidence of what published in the case of violation in the UVA (The University of Virginia).

After multiple clarifications and legal claims, the magazine settled a lawsuit with the fraternity, agreeing to pay $ 1.65 million in defamation damages, some of which would be donated to charities that deal with victims of sexual assault.

This investigation owes its resounding failure in not respecting the ethical points of journalism, such as:

• Be open to the investigation of the facts.
• Pursue objectivity, even if it is known to be inaccessible.
• Contrast the data with as many journalistic sources, as necessary.
• Clearly differentiate between information and opinion.

Journalism is not improvised nor should it be a race to gain notoriety. Professional investigation must be thorough and accurate. The journalist must verify the story and all its sources until its veracity is fully authenticated.

Journalism must be responsible, transparent, but above all accurate and objective since the integrity and reputation of those involved is at stake. Applying the code of ethics is the only guarantee for journalistic excellence.

References:

https://web.archive.org/web/20141119200349/http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/a-rape-on-campus-20141119

Rogers, Tony. "The Top 12 Journalism Scandals Since 2000." ThoughtCo, Feb. 11, 2020, thoughtco.com/the-top-journalism-scandals-2073750.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/business/media/rape-uva-rolling-stone-frat.html

https://duenosdelanoticia.ojo-publico.com/articulo/la-investigacion-de-rolling-stone-un-fracaso-que-era-evitable/