PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Big Trial
By Ralph Cipriano
Sabrina Rubin Erdely
for Bigtrial.net
Before a writer for Rolling Stone ever made the mistake of believing an alleged gang-rape story told by a student named “Jackie,” she bought an alleged multiple-rape story told by a former altar boy named “Billy.”
On Nov. 19th, Rolling Stone published an article claiming that “Jackie,” a student at the University of Virginia, had been allegedly gang-raped by seven men at a fraternity party. [“A Rape on Campus; A Brutal Assault and Struggle for Justice At U-VA.”]
The fraternity was tried in the media and found guilty. Bricks were thrown through the windows of the frat house, the cops in Charlottesville were called in to investigate, and the university president shut down all fraternity and sorority events on campus.
Then, The Washington Post, citing factual discrepancies, cast doubt on the victim’s story. Rolling Stone rolled over almost immediately, issuing an apology that said their trust in Jackie had been “misplaced.”
There’s lots of irony here folks for readers of this blog. The writer of the story in question, contributing editor Sabrina Rubin Erdely, is from Philadelphia. Before she bought Jackie’s story, she fell for a story told by a former altar boy dubbed “Billy Doe” by a grand jury.
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