The lesson of Rolling Stone and UVA: protecting victims means checking their stories

Rolling Stone's high-profile story about sexual assault on campus appears to be falling apart in the wake of serious questions raised about a horrifying alleged gang-rape used as its central example.

It is a depressing certainty that this story will be used for years to come as a defense by those who do not want to believe rape victims' allegations. But that is the wrong lesson to draw. Rather, this story should be a reminder of how difficult it is to accurately report on traumatic events — and the heightened ethical responsibilities that fall on journalists who do so.

"A Rape On Campus" began with a narrative told by a young woman named only as "Jackie" about a gang rape that she claimed to have experienced at a fraternity party. Rolling Stone issued an apology for the