Rolling Stone, UVA, and the Corrections Dilemma

The Rolling Stone story, "A Rape on Campus," about the gang rape of a University of Virginia freshman and her struggle against the University's indifference, is now infamous for its inaccuracies and shoddy reporting. Last month, one UVA administrator's lawsuit against Rolling Stone went to court, where the jury found the magazine guilty of defaming her in the piece. The basis for the ruling? Not the fact that inaccuracies were published, but rather that those inaccuracies, though disavowed by Rolling Stone, were left online uncorrected.

Now, Rolling Stone's lawyers are asking the judge in the case to overrule the verdict, on the grounds that it would set a tricky precedent for journalists. Would it allow news organizations to be held accountable for inaccuracies in reporting, no matter how old? In a new era of potential press insecurity under President Trump, should journalists be concerned?

Bob talks to T. Rees Shapiro, an education reporter at The Washington Post who has been following the story.

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Spear Waltz - Michael Andrews