It’s been barely seven months since Rolling Stone retracted its ill-fated University of Virginia fraternity rape story after revelations that it took a victim’s story at face value without getting the other side or checking the details with other sources, including the accused.Ĭolumbia University Journalism School, which examined the magazine’s reporting and editing of the piece, concluded that Rolling Stone had “set aside or rationalized as unnecessary essential practices of reporting.”
If this sounds familiar, there’s good reason.
#The hunting ground movie tv
Yet with its co-production and airing of it, CNN is putting its imprimatur on a film that falls far short of the basic reporting standards we expect from a cable TV news outlet that calls itself “the most trusted name in news.” It is inexcusable for a network as respected as CNN to pretend that the film is a documentary rather than an advocacy piece. FSU plays a prominent part in the film in a one-sided segment accusing Tallahassee police and the University of ignoring sexual assault allegations against former quarterback Jameis Winston to protect the athletic program. Now, we have “The Hunting Ground,” which contains major distortions and glaring omissions to support its simplistic narrative that colleges and universities are to blame for our national sexual assault crisis. We simply could not let stand an inaccurate or incomplete picture of the university’s conduct. It was because those making negative assertions had an agenda not supported by the evidence. When Florida State has objected to certain media stories involving this issue it was not because we feared exposure for some mistake or wanted to deny the problem exists. Good, strong universities do not hide from criticism but rather constantly re-examine whether they are doing things as they should. It’s about the journalism, not the subject. You will not see or hear any of this in “The Hunting Ground.” And that is why I – and I believe the presidents of other universities portrayed in the film – have decided not to participate. Department of Education.įor many years, FSU’s policies in this area have been a model for other universities nevertheless, we recently reviewed and improved them, made them easier to access on the Web, bolstered bystander training, increased sexual responsibility training for incoming freshmen and hired a full-time Title IX officer to handle the investigation and adjudication of sexual assault complaints. We, like other major universities, have been moving quickly to adopt changes and meet the new and evolving Title IX requirements imposed by the U.S. I have declined and I want you to know why.īefore I do, however, I want to make one thing clear: FSU does not tolerate rape. Now, as part of its national television debut, CNN has invited me and other university presidents to join a televised panel discussion defending the university and critiquing the film. The film has been shown theatrically and on campuses across the country. This week, CNN will air “The Hunting Ground,” a film that charges FSU and other institutions of higher education with turning their backs on the victims of sexual assault.
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