Rolling Stone journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely issued an apology for her discredited UVA rape article on Sunday, but the three-paragraph statement did not apologize to the falsely accused fraternity members, nor university administrators Erdely accused of turning a deaf ear to rape victims.
"The past few months, since my Rolling Stone article 'A Rape on Campus' was first called into question, have been among the most painful of my life," she wrote,
according to The New York Times.
Erdely's apology was released in conjunction with a summary report
compiled by the Columbia Journalism Review, which concluded after an in-depth investigation found that the article was "a failure that was avoidable."
"Reading the Columbia account of the mistakes and misjudgments in my reporting was a brutal and humbling experience. I want to offer my deepest apologies: to Rolling Stone’s readers, to my Rolling Stone editors and colleagues, to the U.V.A. community, and to any victims of sexual assault who may feel fearful as a result of my article," she continued.
Rolling Stone retracted the story and removed it from its website following the report. However,
as The Daily Beast noted, Rolling Stone's editors have opted to keep Erdely on the company payroll as a contributing editor.
"Rolling Stone’s senior editors are unanimous in the belief that the story’s failure does not require them to change their editorial systems," the publication stated. Furthermore, no disciplinary action will be taken as a result of the false story.
Phi Kappa Psi, the University of Virginia fraternity whose members were falsely accused of brutally gang raping the subject of the article, "Jackie," remains suspended. The fraternity has announced it is exploring possible legal action against Rolling Stone, which may take the form of a defamation lawsuit.
Many took to Twitter to weigh in on the story that caused a firestorm late last year, and the tenor seemed to be mostly negative.
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