An example of a story I worked on with CBS 6 reporter Laura French, to highlight the extensive work that went into the story. I helped write and format the story and used HTML design to showcase certain elements. 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Three and a half years after an alleged brutal gang rape by fraternity members at the University of Virginia, detailed in Rolling Stone magazine, lawyers say a crush over a boy sparked the sensational article.

Readers were horrified by “A Rape on Campus” when it published online in November 2014, and the article created upheaval at the university.

The 9,000-word article — with almost as many comments at the time it was taken offline — described how an UVa first-year student named Jackie was sexually assaulted by seven attackers during a fraternity party, and how the university failed to adequately respond.

The article, with global attention, instigated dialogue about sexual violence on college campuses, but the details of the story soon came under withering scrutiny and it was later retracted. Multiple lawsuits have been filed since its publication.

FORMER CLOSE FRIENDS OF JACKIE’S SHED LIGHT ON RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAY HAVE STARTED THE SAGA

“I felt like I was going to cry when I saw the article,” said UVa student, Ryan Duffin. “I met Jackie the second day I was at UVa.”

It was summer 2012, and like most college freshman, Duffin was excited to meet new friends and make lasting memories.

He quickly connected with fellow first-year students Jackie, Alex Stock, and Kathyrn Hendley, after meeting the trio at orientation.

Ryan Duffin and friends. Jackie is on the far left, and blurred.

But it was Jackie, Ryan says, who wanted more.

“I think that began to become pretty clear maybe about a week after I had met her,” said Duffin, in an interview with CBS 6 reporter Laura French. “She started expressing some physical interest in me then, which I rebuffed.”

It was a rejection which the lawyers currently representing the UVa associate dean’s office said led to deception.

“She tells us that she’s met this new guy,” said Alex Stock, who was close friends with Duffin and the others. “She likes to talk about him which I thought was interesting because she had a huge crush on Ryan at the time.”

Jackie told her friends that the new guy was an upperclassman named Haven Monahan.

Ryan said Jackie even convinced him to text Haven, posing as a girl named Brianna, to learn more about him.

“She said that Haven Monahan was somebody in her chemistry class who had been interested in her and had expressed that to her, but she really wasn’t interested in him,” Duffin said.

“She came up with this plan she got me and Alex to pretend to be other girls in Haven’s class and text Haven to gauge whether he was a good person or not,” Duffin said.

CBS 6 obtained logs of hundreds of text messages between Jackie, Ryan and the person on the other end, who was presumed to be Haven Monahan, a fraternity member who would later be accused of rape by Jackie.

These documents are now in the hands of attorneys and CBS 6 has redacted Jackie’s last name and put them online here, so that readers can follow the conversation.

***WARNING. There is graphic language in the texts.***

[scribd id=298614979 key=key-koSD9PFWOSFFDFu1pkW5 mode=slideshow]
These texts, which take place between Sept. 2012 and Dec. 2014, chronicle Haven’s fabricated interest in Jackie, along with Jackie’s secret desire to date Ryan.

These texts, which take place between Sept. 2012 and Dec. 2014, chronicle Haven’s fabricated interest in Jackie, along with Jackie’s secret desire to date Ryan.

The texts CBS 6 obtained end in 2014, with Ryan telling Jackie, “…it’s probably better that we don’t talk right now, too.”

TEXTS WERE PART OF AN ELABORATE SCHEME

“This Haven character would always complain that she’s got a crush on some first year,” said Stock.  “It was kind of a fishing expedition to see how she felt about Ryan.”

Ryan Duffin to Jackie: (Wed Sep 05 00:51:01 EDT 2012)
He’s still asking for advice about you, to which I’m just telling him that he should go out with me.
Jackie to Ryan Duffin: (Wed Sep 05 00:54:39 EDT 2012)
Lol good please get him to leave me alone! Tell him I sound stupid and like a waste of his time
Ryan Duffin to Jackie: (Wed Sep 05 00:55:11 EDT 2012) (PAGE 25)
He’s complaining about… actually, I think he’s complaining about me.
Jackie to Ryan Duffin: (Wed Sep 05 00:55:46 EDT 2012) Wait what? You as in Brianna? Or you?
Ryan Duffin to Jackie: (Wed Sep 05 00:56:28 EDT 2012) Me as in Ryan. Or Pocket, whichever you prefer.
Jackie to Ryan Duffin: (Wed Sep 05 01:01:14 EDT 2012) Haha I prefer pocket:) why is he complaining about you?
Ryan Duffin to Jackie: (Wed Sep 05 01:01:32 EDT 2012) Did you tell him anything about me?
Jackie to Ryan Duffin: (Wed Sep 05 01:05:04 EDT 2012) Kind of….Ahh this is embarrassing. I didn’t use your name!)
Haven Monahan to Ryan Duffin: (Wed Sep 05 01:10:57 EDT 2012)
Ok. Can u help me come up with a plan to get Jackie to go out with me and forget the faggot first year she likes? I need girl advice
Ryan Duffin to Haven Monahan: (Wed Sep 05 01:11:13 EDT 2012) No!
Haven Monahan to Ryan Duffin: (Wed Sep 05 01:13:16 EDT 2012)
01/02:Why? Your a girl. Maybe you can find out who this kid is. Maybe hes a football player. All she would say is that hes ’brilliant and funny and amazing’ or

Court documents allege Haven was a fake suitor created by Jackie to win over Duffin’s affection in an elaborate scheme;  a “figment of her imagination.”

“It looks like, based on some research that was done, it was not a real phone it was Jackie hiding behind a computer,” said Stock.

That would mean Jackie was using the conversation to tell Ryan appealing things about her, and how she felt about the unnamed crush – said to be Duffin.

At the same time, Jackie would tell her friends that she had no interest in Haven, who was reported in the magazine as “Drew.”

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