Recently at the University of Virginia, all fraternity activities have ceased due to an article published in Rolling Stone Magazine written by Sabrina Rubin Erdely. In the article, a girl named Jackie describes an attack at a fraternity party thrown by the Phi Kappa Psi. Jackie said she was asked to the party by one of the fraternity members, where she was brought into a room and raped by a group of seven of the fraternity’s men. She claimed the act was an initiation to the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. The article received criticism from many organizations including The New Republic, Slate Magazine, and Fox News due to its accusations towards Phi Kappa Psi without credible sources and without giving the accused a chance to reply.

“I doubt Rolling Stone’s article because it relies on a single anonymous source,” Richard Bradley, a former editor for George Magazine, posted to his website. Bradley wasn’t new to fake stories, having been the editor for the infamous fabricator, Stephen Glass. The Rolling Stone article cited one source regarding the event in question, the girl named Jackie, who was only identified by her first name. Rolling Stone released a statement saying that they were trying to use their best judgment in complying with Jackie’s request to stay anonymous and not interview the other members involved. They have since acknowledged the faults in their article and have mentioned that the story may not be completely true.

Now at the top of the article on the Rolling Stone website, a four paragraph statement recognizes the issues with the article. As it turns out, Phi Kappa Psi reports it did not have an event that night. One of Jackie’s friends who found her after the party said she was a mile from any of the school fraternities and that she did not appear to be physically injured at the time. With the new information coming from friends, the fraternity, and Rolling Stone, it appears the event may not have even happened.