Traditional, print media problems...

A little off the typical topics, but do you remember the Rolling Stone article about the gang rape at the University of Virginia last month? You can read the article here. The story received national attention. In yet another black eye for the news media, the managing editor for Rolling Stone, Will Dana, issued an apology on December 5th. The story is unraveling and appears to be bogus and unsubstantiated. You can read the entire apology here. This is a short excerpt from Will Dana at the Rolling Stone:

In the face of new information, there now appear to be discrepancies in Jackie's account, and we have come to the conclusion that our trust in her was misplaced. We were trying to be sensitive to the unfair shame and humiliation many women feel after a sexual assault and now regret the decision to not contact the alleged assaulters to get their account. We are taking this seriously and apologize to anyone who was affected by the story.

You would think after the Jason Blair fiasco at the venerable New York Times the media would understand the basics of research and fact-checking. Apparently, this is a lesson that needs to be learned over and over again. 

Some of our local media are fast and loose with the facts also. The Broward/Palm Beach New Times comes to mind. Be careful where you get your information from. The line between fact and opinion should be a clear one, not just a smokescreen. 

If you are interested in learning more about this Rolling Stone disaster The Washington Post did an investigation you can read here.