Journalism 101

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Journalistic Failure 

“Rolling Stone's repudiation of the main narrative in ‘A Rape on Campus’ is a story of journalistic failure that was avoidable. The failure encompassed reporting, editing, editorial supervision and fact-checking. The magazine set aside or rationalized as unnecessary essential practices of reporting that, if pursued, would likely have led the magazine’s editors to reconsider publishing Jackie’s narrative so prominently, if at all. The published story glossed over the gaps in the magazine’s reporting by using pseudonyms and by failing to state where important information had come from.”

—Sheila Coronel, Steve Coll & Derek Kravitz, authors, “Rolling Stone and UVA: The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Report: An anatomy of a journalistic failure,” Rolling Stone, April 5, 2015 

• Editorial Comment: Fine hindsight, but a little late.

• Related: Discredited Rolling Stone contributing editor Sabrina Rubin Erdely’s mea culpa, and University of Virginia President Teresa A. Sullivan’s statement, New York Times, April 5, 2015


PeezPix by Ted Pease 

Purple Trillium











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“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard
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