Checking The UVA Rape Story

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...

Two weeks ago, a stunning account in Rolling Stone magazine about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia sent the nation reeling. The stomach-churning story led to a police and university investigation, student protests, a temporary ban on fraternities and sororities at the school — and, eventually, tremors in the media that dared to ask: Was the account to be believed? Sixteen days later, another bombshell: Rolling Stone backed off the story.

On Friday, the magazine said it discovered new information that made it lose faith in the...