Rolling Stone formally retracted the 9,000-word piece by writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely detailing an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia frat house, after commissioning the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism to review the piece. Also, the Los Angeles City Council is considering reinstating a ban on people living in their vehicles. Then, the state of the home cooked meal is on a decline according to a survey.
Assessing fallout of Rolling Stone UVA story retraction
It was the investigative story that rocked the nation, but not in the way Rolling Stone had intended.
Over the weekend, the magazine formally retracted the 9,000-word piece by writer Sabrina Rubin Erdely detailing an alleged gang rape at a University of Virginia frat house, after commissioning the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism to review the piece.
The report found basic journalistic errors throughout the process. “The failure encompassed reporting, editing, editorial supervision and fact-checking,” wrote the Columbia authors. “The magazine set aside or rationalized as unnecessary essential practices of reporting that, if pursued, would likely have led the magazine’s editors to reconsider publishing Jackie’s narrative so prominently, if at all.”
The magazine and Edely both apologized after the release of the report. None of the editors that worked on the story will be fired because of the story. Rolling Stone says it plans to continue working with Erdely.
CNN is reporting that Phi Kappa Psi, the fraternity at the center of the Rolling Stone piece, is contemplating a possible lawsuit against the magazine.
What’s the long-term impact of the retracted story? How would the lawsuit play out if Phi Kappa Psi decides to pursue legal action? How does this unfortunate example feed into the national conversation about the pervasiveness of sexual assault on college campuses?
Guest:
Jane Kirtley, professor media ethics and law at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota
Debating LA’s revamped proposal to ban homeless living in vehicles
Homeless people in L.A. who sleep in their cars may have to find somewhere else to rest their heads at night.
The Los Angeles City Council is considering reinstating a ban on people living in their vehicles. City attorney Mike Feuer lays out two options in a letter to members of city council: one reinstates the ban that a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel of judges struck down last year, but with a tighter definition of “living in a vehicle” that Feuer says will satisfy the court. The other is a revised version of the ban, and prohibits people from sleeping on city streets unless they have a permit through the city.
Supporters of the ban say it’s necessary to prevent these vehicles from parking overnight on residential streets, creating trash, and causing trouble. Opponents say it’s too harsh on the homeless, and that they can’t just create a ban and expect the city’s homeless problem to go away.
Do you support the city’s ordinances the way they are currently written? If not, what do you think is a better way to deal with the issue of homeless living in vehicles?
Guests:
Mark Ryavec, President of the Venice Stakeholders’ Association, an organization dedicated to civic improvement in Venice Beach.
Steve Clare, Executive Director, Venice Community Housing Corporation, nonprofit housing and community development organization serving low-income residents in the Westside of Los Angeles
LA County Board of Supervisors debates offering public housing to people with criminal history
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to lift restrictions on who has access to public assistance for housing, allowing people on probation and parole and with drug convictions older than two years to qualify for Section 8 housing.
Currently, the county has tougher requirements than the federal government on who can live in federally subsidized public housing projects and receive Section 8 vouchers for rent assistance.
For the full story, click here.
Guest:
Sheila Kuehl, LA County Supervisor
Court affirms that out-of-control children can be taken from family custody
A California appeals court has butted heads with another state appellate court over whether the state can remove out-of-control children from the custody of a parent even if the mother or father has not neglected the child or is otherwise not at fault for their behavior.
If children face substantial risk of harming themselves, it doesn't matter whether the parent did anything intentional to put them in that position, the 2nd District Court of Appeal ruled Thursday. Another state appellate court ruled in 2010 that a parent had to be shown to be culpable for a failure or inability to supervise or protect a child. Such conflicts between appeals courts are often resolved by the state Supreme Court.
Guests:
Dale Thetford, Principal Deputy County Counsel, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services
David Estep, a law firm director for Children's Law Center of California based in LA
France bans ultra-thin models; could it happen here?
The French National Assembly passed two measures Friday that effectively ban ultra-thin models.
France is just the latest country to regulate the industry; Israel, Spain and Italy each have bans of their own. French models and agencies now have to adhere to strict body mass index (BMI) guidelines. Violation of these rules could result in fines of up to 75,000 euros ($82,000) for the contravening agency. Agencies found to be encouraging dangerous eating habits could face fines of 100,000 euros.
The decision by the French Assembly is just the latest move in French President’s Francois Hollande’s campaign against anorexia in the country’s modeling industry. France’s assembly believes anorexia in modeling to be a matter of public health, arguing that young men and women who see the emaciated models may themselves pick up unhealthy eating habits. Temple University Sociology professor Amanda Czerniawski tells AirTalk that that the decision in France could have a significant impact on the industry globally. “When France takes actions like that, the world pays attention,” she says.
Today on AirTalk we take a look at America’s modeling industry: is it time we look into regulations of our own? Do noticeably skinny models promote unhealthy body images among young people? Or could overregulation of the industry lead to new problems?
Guests:
Trish Jones-Bendel, President of ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders)
Amanda Czerniawski, Professor of sociology at Temple University, where she teaches courses on bodies, gender and culture. Author of “Fashioning Fat,” which explores the world of plus-sized modeling.
The state of the home-cooked meal
The home-cooked meal has become a casualty of our busy lifestyle.
While American families still make time to eat together at the dinner table, one survey finds that in 2014 less than 60 percent of suppers served were cooked at home. That’s down 15 percent just 30 years ago. Ironically, the decline in cooking at home coincides with the unprecedented popularity of cooking shows on TV.
What gives? Do you cook? Why and why not?
Guest:
Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and vice president at market research firm NPD Group, who has been following the eating habits of Americans for for almost three decades
Sarah Bowen, associate professor of sociology at North Carolina State University, where she specializes in the sociology of food. She is a coauthor of a 5-year ongoing study on cooking and families, funded by the USDA.