<p>I don’t agree that the only victim of the Rolling Stone article was the fraternity. </p>
<p>First, the article did real damage to the University’s reputation with the embellished Jackie story and comcomitant smearing of current students by characterizing them as social climbing sociopaths. The newly released emails and audio of Erdley’s interview with Sullivan show that the writer never intended to get the University’s side of her most explosive charge, their supposed failure to act on Jackie’s assault – the writer and fact checker simply never asked University officials about the incident. This was consistent with the many other journalistic failures that have already been noted. The Rector’s description of the article as “drive-by journalism” is very apt.</p>
<p>The biggest victim of the RS article, however, is sadly rape-victim advocacy itself. While UVa has responded with positive new investments in security, open discussions and actions addressing culture and prevention, there is a groundswell of critics who have pounced on this article as an opportunity to question whether campus rape is even a problem at all, anywhere. This article has made it more difficult for rape victims to be believed. I can’t imagine how that feels to someone like Emily Renda, a rape survivor and advocate who originally connected the reporter to Jackie. Renda herself is portrayed in the article only as a survivor who self medicates with alcohol, no mention of her advocacy efforts as an undergrad or her employment with the university post grad. Or Brian Head, president of the group One in Four, who was merely quoted in RS describing the work hard, play hard UVa culture. This writer deliberately ommited the work of activists on Grounds because it didnt suit her diatribe. And in the process Erdley has made their work, and their counterparts at other schools, more difficult.</p>
<p>The fraternities will continue with ever increasing scrutiny of their parties and pledging as has been the trend for many years before this article ever came out. Phi Psi will perhaps end up owning Roling Stone.</p>