Rolling Stone can take their defamation statement and shove it

There was a time when Rolling Stone published stories on the defining social political and cultural issues of our times. It is obvious that false stories such as this one the magazine peddled are desperate attempts to recapture that relevance.

This casual response to the jury’s finding of defamation with malice reflects what journalism has become, an enterprise focused on progressive political activism at the expense of truth. This is nothing less than a fancier “fake, but accurate” defense that was mocked when Dan Rather offered it many years ago.

This year, two media companies — Gawker and Rolling Stone — have been brought low by their own unethical behavior. In general, the media have pushed things too far in terms of going after ordinary people. They can’t keep doing this and expect not to deal with the consequences. May the punishment they suffer be severe enough to make others reconsider the harm such journalism causes.

Rolling Stone, Jann Wenner, and Sabrina Erdely have lost their reputations, and rightly so. May they come to true repentance for their actions.