Will Dana, the managing editor for Rolling Stone that oversaw the publication of a story falsely accusing members of a UVA fraternity of raping another student, is leaving the magazine. The news comes just a few months after the fake rape story imploded and one day after another lawsuit was filed against the magazine and its publisher.
The NY Times reports:
Mr. Dana, whose planned last day is Aug. 7, is not leaving for another job, and his successor has not been named. When asked if the departure was linked to the controversy over the discredited article, Rolling Stone’s publisher, Jann S. Wenner, said, via a spokeswoman, that “many factors go into a decision like this.
In a statement, Mr. Dana said, "After 19 years at Rolling Stone, I have decided that it is time to move on." He added: "It has been a great ride and I loved it even more than I imagined I would. I am as excited to see where the magazine goes next as I was in the summer of 1978 when I bought my first issue."
The announcement follows lawsuits by the UVA Assoc. Dean of Students and three Phi Kappa Psi fraternity members. The dean filed suit in May against the author, the magazine and the publisher accusing them of falsely representing her and the university. She's seeking $7.85 million.
The three students filed this week for defamation and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Fox News provides some details:
A lawyer for the men said they suffered "vicious and hurtful attacks" because of inaccuracies in the November 2014 article, which was written by journalist Sabrina Rubin Erdely.
In their lawsuit, the three 2013 graduates said the article "created a simple and direct way to match the alleged attackers" from the alleged gang rape to them based on details provided in the story. [...]
In the lawsuit, their lawyer said each of their identities was listed online by anonymous users when the article first came out and each of their "names will forever be associated with the alleged gang rape."
"These claims had a devastating effect on each of the plaintiffs' reputations," their lawyer, Alan L. Frank, wrote in Wednesday's filing.
The men are suing on three counts, including defamation and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and are asking for at least $75,000 for each count.
Despite massive pushback and the real-life damages to individuals, Rolling Stone did not fire or discipline in any meaningful way anyone involved in the false story.
