TELL ME AGAIN HOW ANYONE WHO DOUBTED THIS CONFABULATION WAS JUST A MISOGYNISTIC RAPE-DENIALIST: U-Va. students challenge Rolling Stone account of attack.
The scene with her friends was pivotal in the article, as it alleged that the friends were callously apathetic about a beaten, bloodied, injured classmate reporting a brutal gang rape at the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. The account alleged that the students worried about the effect it might have on their social status, how it might reflect on Jackie during the rest of her collegiate career, and how they suggested not reporting it. It set up the article’s theme: That U-Va. has a culture that is indifferent to rape.
“It didn’t happen that way at all,” Andy said. . . .
They said there are mounting inconsistencies with the original narrative in the magazine. The students also expressed suspicions about Jackie’s allegations from that night. They said the name she provided as that of her date did not match anyone at the university, and U-Va. officials confirmed to The Post that no one by that name has attended the school.
And photographs that were texted to one of the friends showing her date that night actually were pictures depicting one of Jackie’s high school classmates in Northern Virginia. That man, now a junior at a university in another state, confirmed that the photographs are of him and said he barely knew Jackie and hasn’t been to Charlottesville for at least six years. . . . He said it appears the photos that were circulated were pulled from social media Web sites.
And remember, based solely on that Rolling Stone story, University of Virginia President Teresa Sullivan illegally suspended all Greek activity. Now it’s not even clear that there was a fraternity involved at all.
UPDATE: “We are approaching the point at which one could construct a case in favor of the whole thing’s having been made up from scratch.” Indeed.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Early doubter Robby Soave: “The degree to which everyone involved in this travesty of journalism failed at their jobs is almost unbelievable. But unlike the story of a gang rape at UVA, we now have incontrovertible proof of it.” Plus: “If the friends’ narrative is accurate, it seems doubtful that “Drew” exists at all, and is instead the product of some kind of catfishing situation. Compare that with Rolling Stone editor Sean Woods’ initial claim that ‘I’m satisfied that [the perpetrators] exist and are real. We knew who they were.'”
Pathetic.