Could Rolling Stone Fiasco Be Payback For "The Runaway General" ???

I'm sure that by now you've heard of the fiasco at Rolling Stone over the article about an alleged gang rape at a UV fraternity house:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/08/business/media/rolling-stone-tries-to-regroup-after-campus-rape-article-is-disputed.html

Here's a question no one is asking: could this whole thing be payback for their 2010 story "The Runaway General"?

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-runaway-general-20100622

If you'll recall, the author of the story (Michael Hastings) was told at the time “we’ll hunt you down and kill you if we don’t like what you write.” And sure enough ... he later died in a mysterious fiery auto accident:

http://www.occupy.com/article/exclusive-who-killed-michael-hastings

And now we have the magazine itself discredited by a story which appears to be partly or completely bogus. Is it at all possible that Rolling Stone was set up to fail as payback for their literary attack on a senior US Army general?

Just asking the obvious.

Update: The plot thickens ...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/15/friends-uva-rape-accuser-begin-doubt-story/