Rolling Stone retracts college 'gang-rape expose'

Rolling Stone magazine withdrew and apologized on Sunday for a discredited story about a gang rape on a US college campus, publishing a review of the debacle that found "avoidable" failures in basic journalism practices.

An 8,000-word report on the article by Columbia Journalism Review had found lapses in journalism standards at the pop-culture magazine from start to finish of the purported expose on rape. The story had prompted a police investigation and sparked public outcry when first published in November.

Investigators probing the allegations said last month they found no evidence to support the claims of a violent gang rape at a college fraternity in Virginia.