'I testified falsely': Woman who accused three Duke lacrosse players of rape admits she lied (youtube.com)
Duke Lacross gang-rape testimony, 2006. 18 years as accused rapists? The school and the city also had reputational damage and were sued. Huge headline news across the US at the time. After much to-do, the legal case (with serious charges, something like life imprisonment), and the woman coming out with very specific graphic details, and many people took her side, including regional authorities like the DA, who did many interviews detailing how she was raped ‘so viciously’, and their university was silent and didn't assist them, the Lacrosse team's season was cancelled, the coach was fired, was the case was eventually dismissed for lack of evidence a year after, but questions remained. She was hired as an exotic dancer and made the allegations after that day. She seems to be able to make her admission through her belief in God, and is currently in prison for murder.
This is the kind of occurence that is better viewed in retrospect. At the time she made the allegations, she was viewed as a victim, because she'd never make something like that up, she had no reason to, her details made it convincing, they were men from good families and so they were privileged and shouldn't be allowed to get away with it, etc. More than anything, perhaps, it's the widespread idea that women and girls can't really do any wrong, that they don't lie, that they're victims always, that the famous authority figures fighting for them on TV are wise and therefore correct. It would pay for anyone who finds themself voicing this type of position to now go and watch the old news headlines from the time, not a documentary, but the live news from 18 years ago and see how convincing it is for them.