Ethical Challenge 1: Rolling Stone Rape Case

Rolling Stone magazine sent shock waves through America in November when they published an article based on the alleged rape of a University of Virginia student. The student accused multiple brothers of a Fraternity house and claimed that her university friends found her outside of the house, after she ran out without anyone noticing her battered state, but instead of finding solace and support she was told not to report it.

The article spread like wildfire, there was such in depth detail included that it held a morbid fascination for people as does most sensationalist journalism. Once people looked past the crude detailing, the main question began to flow: Was it true?

1. I read this article when it was initially published and while it read as sensationalist then, what bothered me the most was how it was one-sided. If this were my story, I would not have included every detail as I don’t believe it is necessary to include all of them in order to still contribute to the higher purpose of exposing sexual assault on campuses. As journalists we can facilitate societal discussion without exploiting our subjects. Also, while I sympathize with the victim, I still believe in innocent until proven guilty and it is simply good journalism to research all sides of a story. I would have interviewed the accused rapists, or at least the fraternity board members, to at least give them a chance to respond to the allegations.

2. I believe the loopholes in this journalist’s style read as a pseudo manual for what not to do when investigating a criminal case for a major publication. The break in this case, with more thorough research and objective interviews, would have been a career changing project but the way it was handled speaks not only to the journalist’s victim bias but also, her short sightedness as a professional. No one pursues a career in writing with the goal of publicly exposing their weaknesses. I reached my decision by evaluating the skill and integrity this piece was written with, and while we cannot fully know what the journalist’s motivations were for writing this piece in the manner she did, I personally strive to keep a more objective perspective on news and crime related articles.

3. I reached this conclusion based on the fact that as soon as the article was published, the fraternity issued a public statement denying any involvement with the young woman and insisting that there was no official event that night. While the truth has may have been warped by either or both sides of this issue, it does not null the fact that both sides deserve to be given the chance to provide their side of the story. Even if you personally favor one side over another, as a journalist it’s imperative to stay as objective as possible. It’s dangerous to fall in love with our subject or story, we lose sight of what our duty really is to the public.

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