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BUSINESS
Jann Wenner

'Rolling Stone' managing editor steps down

Anita Balakrishnan
USA TODAY

Will Dana, managing editor of Rolling Stone magazine, has decided it is "time to move on," parent company Wenner Media announced Thursday.

The publisher of the iconic culture magazine did not provide a reason for the leadership change and has not named a successor to Dana, a magazine industry veteran who was responsible for leveraging some of the Stone's star talent, like controversial columnist Matt Taibbi.

Dana's departure comes in the wake of the since-retracted December 2014 article Dana edited,  "A rape on campus," by Sabrina Rubin Erdely. The article wove a narrative of rape culture on American college campuses, told through the eyes of an anonymous source, called "Jackie," who said she experienced a brutal gang rape at the hands of University of Virginia fraternity members.

Both Dana and Wenner declined to comment on whether the discredited story was a factor in Dana's decision.

The article had an immediate impact, accruing more than 2.7 million views, according to court documents. But after news outlets including TheWashington Post raised serious questions about elements of the Erdely's reporting, Rolling Stone contacted the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism about conducting an investigation of the story.

Columbia's review found multiple shortcomings in Rolling Stone's reporting and editing. "A rape on campus" was retracted shortly after. Past members of the fraternity mentioned in Erdely's article filed a defamation lawsuit against Rolling Stone on Wednesday.

Dana issued an apology on behalf of the magazine, saying, "The fact that there is a story that appears in Rolling Stone in which I don't have complete confidence is deeply unsettling to me."

Jann Wenner, chairman of Wenner Media, called Dana “one of the finest editors I have ever worked with.” Dana has been an editor at Rolling Stone since 1996, rising through the ranks after a lengthy career at publications including Men's Journal, Details, Esquire, and Harper's.

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