Last Wednesday, I opened my mailbox and found the latest copy of Rolling Stone magazine, as I do every two weeks. As I was flipping through the magazine, aside from the obligatory photographs of half-naked cover girls (this week it was musician Shania Twain), an interesting article caught my eye. Yes, an article.

Unfortunately, the redesigned Rolling Stone of late has focused more on Maxim-like center-spreads than the in-depth features of its heyday. (Not, mind you, that I'm actually old enough to remember the days of Cameron Crowe and Ben Fong-Torres.) Half the magazine is now short news briefs and photos of already-famous rock stars, while the other half is full of slick advertisements. Whatever happened to the "almost famous?"

Back to the article, since this issue actually contained one. It was called "Bug Chasers: The men who long to be HIV+" and was written by Gregory A. Freedman. Freedman delves into the underworld of gay men who chase death, who are dying to get AIDS. The article is provocative and fascinating. Unfortunately, it may also be fiction.

Within the medical profession, there seems to be no doubt that some people actually enjoy practicing unsafe sex because they love the risk involved and are trying to contract the HIV virus. Freedman's article stated that 25 percent of new gay male HIV infections are due to this "bug chasing" phenomenon. This definitely shocked me, until I took a closer look.

What is this statistic based on? A comprehensive scientific study? Estimates by respected health professionals? Even a survey conducted by the magazine? No. It is based on a quote from one doctor. And, now this doctor is denying that he even made this statement!

That's right: Dr. Bob Cabaj, the psychiatrist quoted in the story as giving the 25 percent figure says he denied ever saying that when a Rolling Stone fact-checker called him. Now, I don't know if all fact-checkers are as incompetent as the one famously portrayed by Jay McInerney in "Bright Lights, Big City," but it seems this one did not effectively perform his job functions. Sure, it was probably an underpaid (or unpaid) intern checking up on this freelance writer's story, but you would think that Rolling Stone has certain journalistic standards. Or, at least, they used to in the beginning.

It's true the doctor could be lying. But he is not the only doctor to complain about being misquoted. Another doctor quoted in the story, Boston's Marshall Forstein said the statement attributed to him in the story saying that "bug chasers are seen regularly in the Fenway health system, and the phenomenon is growing" is pure fabrication. Instead, Forstein claims he told Freedman, "We've seen a few cases, but we have no idea how common this (phenomenon) is." Clearly, there is a big difference between these two quotes.

As a reader, how am I to trust anything written in Rolling Stone anymore? When my subscription ends, I will definitely not renew it. No wonder the new Maxim-owned Blender magazine has had such a successful launch. I don't think I'm the only dissatisfied Rolling Stone customer. A cover pboto of naked "XXX"tina Aguilera wasn't the last straw, but this definitely is.

If I want decent music reporting, I'll pay the extra few bucks and buy a copy of a British music magazine, like Q or Mojo. If I want to read thoughtful cultural articles, I can subscribe to Vanity Fair. But, that doesn't help to solve Rolling Stone's problems.

Maybe they need to replace their freelance writers with staff writers whose resumes have been thoroughly checked by more competent fact-checkers. As a journalist, I know that integrity and trustworthiness matter even more than good writing; if a reporter fabricates quotes, a very public and very embarrassing back-firing can follow, making him the outcast of the media community.

After this fiasco, publicized in Newsweek, salon.com and now the Justice, I'm sure Freedman will now be a journalistic outcast. He is, however, a good writer. Upon first glance, I found the story well-written and engaging.

Perhaps Freedman can look forward to a new career -- in fiction.