article_snippet.sent: That review, which is considerably longer than the original article, reveals startling lapses in basic journalistic practice.
article_snippet.sent: I've told students for years: You should never print allegations without giving people a fair chance to respond.
article_snippet.sent: And you should never take a source's word about important facts without verifying the truth.
article_snippet.sent: Most of all, I tell students, remember that you're writing about human beings, who are complicated creatures: The good guys are never all that good, and the bad guys usually aren't completely bad.
article_snippet.sent: People can be mistaken or deceitful, I tell young reporters, People frequently forget and often lie to People.
article_snippet.sent: That doesn't make a source useless, but a source must make you extra careful.
article_snippet.sent: Worse still, the editors who committed the blunder seem unprepared to revamp the editors who committed the blunder operation to prevent a repeat of the debacle, framing the error as an earnest but misguided attempt to believe the word of a sexual assault victim.