News

Charlottesville Police Find No Evidence to Support Rolling Stone's UVA Gang Rape Article

By

The Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) found insufficient evidence to support a woman's allegations of being gang rape at the University of Virginia (UVA).

According to the New York Times, CPD Chief Timothy Longo made the announcement at a press conference Monday afternoon. The alleged rape took place at a UVA fraternity house in 2012, but gained national attention last Nov. when Rolling Stone published an investigative article on it.

In the piece, the author identified the alleged victim only as "Jackie," who said she was lured into a room and raped by seven men. A month later and facing a number of questions regarding the veracity of the article, Rolling Stone issued a formal apology and commissioned an external review of its editorial process.

"I can't prove that something didn't happen, and there may come a point in time in which this survivor, or this complaining party or someone else, may come forward with some information that might help us move this investigation further," Longo said at the press conference. "That doesn't mean that something terrible did not happen to Jackie on the evening of Sept. 28, 2012.

"This case is not closed by any stretch of the imagination."

Additionally, Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana told the Times recently Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism dean Steve Coll's review of the article would be ready for publication in a matter of weeks.

In the wake of "A Rape on Campus" being published, UVA suspended its Greek groups' activity and designed strict guidelines for officially sanctioned social events. The school also faced allegations that they did not pursue the complaint Jackie made regarding her rape.

After several publications picked the article apart, Rolling Stone admitted to not contacting other characters in the story before the article's publication. They supported their decision by saying they wanted to protect Jackie's identity.

© 2024 University Herald, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion
Real Time Analytics