'Rolling Stone' Walks Back On Sexual Assault Story At UVA

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

A story in Rolling Stone that put the University of Virginia under scrutiny for its handling of campus sexual assault is now being walked back by the magazine. The article told of a fraternity house gang rape at the University of Virginia. It said a woman, identified only as Jackie, was assaulted by seven men at a fraternity party.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

Reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely wrote that article. On our member station WAMU last week, she responded to questions about the woman's credibility.

SABRINA RUBIN ERDELY: I can tell you the story that she told from that night on to all of her friends has been very consistent. And she is incredibly traumatized. Something happened to her in that room.

BLOCK: But today, Rolling Stone says, quote, "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."

CORNISH: On the UVA campus today, few people wanted to talk. One person who did is Stephen Margulies, a retired UVA staffer who lives near the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity house.

STEPHEN MARGULIES: If this does prove to be a false accusation, the person who made the false accusation is doing a terrible disservice to other women. On the other hand, this does not change an enormous fact - and I can vouch for this as an eyewitness - many young men who are frequently associated with athletics or fraternities, frankly, at least in groups, have a lousy attitude towards women.

BLOCK: That's one reaction on the UVA campus today. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.