Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring called Rolling Stone’s apology Friday for its article alleging a gang rape at a University of Virginia “deeply troubling,” saying the magazine should do more to clear up the report’s mistakes.
At the same time, he stressed Friday that the faulty account would do nothing to hinder state and campus efforts to fight sexual assault on campus.
“It is deeply troubling that Rolling Stone magazine is now publicly walking away from its central storyline in its bombshell report on the University of Virginia without correcting what errors its editors believe were made,” Mr. Herring said in a statement.
“Virginians are now left grasping for the truth, but we must not let that undermine our support for survivors of sexual assault or the momentum for solutions,” he said.
As chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Combating Campus Sexual Violence, Mr. Herring said the panel would “develop recommendations on prevention, response, and law enforcement reforms in the coming months.”
“Months before the Rolling Stone article, the Commonwealth, the nation, and the University itself had begun addressing sexual violence on campus as a crisis. Nothing should or will distract from that critical work,” he said.
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“While today’s revelations from the magazine leave us with serious questions, we must not lose the sense of urgency that students, alumni, campus leaders, law enforcement, and many Virginians have brought to this conversation,” Mr. Herring said.
Rolling Stone managing editor Will Dana issued a letter of apology to readers saying that the Nov. 19 article, which relied solely on the account a student identified as “Jackie,” contained “discrepancies” and that “our trust in her was misplaced.”
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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