Stone Unturned

Everyone's talking about Rolling Stone's admission of journalistic failure on last year's campus rape piece.  I don't want to go into it at length, so let me just say as a mea culpa it's not impressive.  They're embarrassed, yes, but it's far from clear if they get the lesson, as their take on the whole thing makes it seem quite possible there'll be similar mistakes in the future.

This was agenda-driven journalism.  There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but if you think you know the answer before you start--in fact, are seeking out a specific answer--then you better be scrupulous in your reporting.  Including checking your assumptions.  But from the general comments of all parties who once supported the piece, it doesn't sound like anyone learned anything.