Politix

Prev Next
Featured Quizzes
Politix Daily Headlines
Featured Debates
Issues

See all 17 issues

People
White House

See all people

MEDIA

Was CNN Coverage Too Sympathetic to Steubenville Rapists?

Yes, says a barrage of criticism on blogs and Twitter

Next>

by Lisa Fine

Staff Writer t

Image: Screenshot CNN

Some critics on blogs and Twitter are claiming that CNN's coverage of the outcome of the Steubenville rape trial was too sympathetic to the two Ohio high school football players convicted of rape.

The segment in question started when CNN anchor Candy Crowley said, "I cannot imagine how emotional that must have been sitting in the courtroom," to the reporter on the scene.Two Steubenville High School students were found guilty Sunday of raping an intoxicated 16-year-old girl during a night of partying. The case attracted national attention after social media posts, video and photos of the events surrounding the crime circulated on the internet.

CNN reporter Poppy Harlow replied that it was "incredibly difficult, even for an outsider like me, to watch what happened as these two young men that had such promising futures, star football players, very good students, literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart."

Later in the segment, Crowley asked Paul Callan, a legal expert, to explain the impact of the verdict on the young men:

"There's always that moment of just - lives are destroyed," Callan said. "But in terms of what happens now, the most severe thing with these young men is being labeled as registered sex offenders. That label is now placed on them by Ohio law. That will haunt them for the rest of their lives."

The coverage unleashed a barrage of criticism on Twitter.

Jessica Valenti (@JessicaValenti) tweeted: "Dear @CNN, the verdict didn't "ruin" the "promising" lives of #Steubenville rapists. Their decision to rape did.

Rob Fee (@robfee) tweeted: "Hey @CNN great job focusing on the true victims of the Steubenville trial; those poor, innocent rapists."

Via Gawker, Raw Story,
Like this article? B Vote Up
?

What's your reaction to CNN's coverage of the Steubenville rape verdict?

View results

Comments (view in Forum)

  • ZombieMedic
    !
    There seems to be more than enough of that these days. That's why "racism" is continually exhumed from it's tomb by people like Al Sharpton, because it's easy to manipulate people into being self-conscious about their skin color, no matter who they are, or what range of pigmentation they possess.
  • DogLady_1
    !
    @TheJimmy - I think it's valid question, where did your "white guilt" comment stem from? And why would you refuse to answer a question from someone you think has ADD?
  • View all 7 replies >
  • ZombieMedic
    !
    Sucks to be everyone involved in that incident, with all the media attention. Wonder why the facination on this particular incident, when similar situations are common everyday?

    The why of the reporting and the media facination of any particular story is usually more interesting from a sociological standpoint than the story itself.
  • harold_lloyd
    !
    "Wonder why the facination on this particular incident, when similar situations are common everyday?"

    Because it was all over social media.
  • Thegrif
    !
    @harold_lloyd it just shows how much like sheep we Americans are, you are right, similar situations happen everyday, and all are a tragedy, but when the media decides to put their claws into a story and spin it, they can make the people bite every-time.
  • harold_lloyd
    !
    @Thegrif
    No, and stop being so negative.
    Because the kids involved didn't really think they's done anything very wrong, they had no problem sharing their experiences and amusement throughout the twitterverse. As a result, the incident became easy meat for news media, and it had pictures to help out.

    The other aspect of this story that made it news was that the town was divided regarding the boys conduct. Was it just just boyish high spirits, or rape?
  • Thegrif
    !
    @harold_lloyd Harold, have you list your mind? The girl is passed out and the boys take her clothes off. One boy is rubbing his junk all over her face, and the other boy us sticking is fingers in her. As this little girl lays there limp, and unconscious. While other kids stand around watching and laughing and taking pictures. I heard the recording of what was going on that night at the party, I heard what they were saying. I heard how they went to their coach and came up with a story, I heard how they tried to lie at first, until one boy turned states evidence.
    Apparently, you did not hear the recorded audio from that night. No way was this just boys being boys, they were so far past just being wrong, and One year in the Dept of Juvenile Justice is not enough, not even close!
    That girl was raped and that my friend is a life sentence.

    Oh, and shut up about me being negative. No man that would defend the actions of these boys needs to judge anything I do.
  • harold_lloyd
    !
    @Thegrif Negative is what I'll stick with.

    I didn't say it wasn't a Bad Thing, only that they, the persons involved, didn't think so.
    That was really my point, how their values had become so warped.

    So go read it again.
  • ZombieMedic
    !
    Good point, why should anyone that wasn't personally involved feel anything themselves. Vicarious emotions seem to be a product of too much TV or a disdain for one's own personal life, because of something lacking within the person.
  • ZombieMedic
    !
    @jamie91 Yep, feelings of excess empathy, or no empathy at all, is actually a trait of a borderline psychological personality disorder, especially when one is not personally involved with the object of empathy. But the original posting was talking about sympathy, not empathy.
  • CATTLEPROD
    !
    @ZombieMedic No doubt. I get tired of hearing them pontificate about edward r. murrow and the deep digging journalism they do, taking it a step further and giving themselves "4th estate" status, the watchdogs of government. HAHAHAHAHA!!! I have been calling it obamas media harem lately, because thats what it is, but in normal day to day they are just an arm of the democratic party. enterNEWSment. thats what it is, and half the time they dont report, they create.
  • DogLady_1
    !
    @CATTLEPROD - "enterNEWSment" good one... I've also heard it called "INFOtainment"... and I wonder if CNN still hires interns from Army Psy-Ops...
  • u
    crusader
    !
    I do hate to hear of anyones life ruined but why wasn't the victim mentioned? Their lives were ruined by their own actions and hers was ruined by their actions as well. So they are the only ones to blames for their permanent record. Was her name released, many times names of minors are not released but she is still the victim who will have to deal with this long after they are out of jail. They are actually lucky to have not been charged as adults and even as juveniles they could have been sentenced to serve until the age of 21. A one year sentence is as light of a sentence that they could have received for this crime.
  • AlexMIA
    !
    I never understood rape. It's just another way some men show they are week and in a sick way over value the other gender.
  • ZombieMedic
    !
    Nope, just raise kids better and teach them responsibility and respect for other's rights. Banning anything is never the answer, but just another misguided attempt at a quick fix.
  • ZombieMedic
    !
    @joyshusband Not easy at all, in fact impossible, but that is life as it should be. It's not up to anyone, or any group of people to try to control or legislate other's behaviors in regards to their personal lives. Forcing people to comply with rules and laws is just another step towards tyranny.

    Finding a balance of law vs. freedom is a slippery slope, and hard to find footing, but I will always err on the side of freedom. The world might not be as much of a "utopia", but at least it will be freer for it.

    Setting a good example is all one should do, and not worry about it beyond their own personal self.
  • DARSB
    !
    And if Lincoln hadn't died, John Wilkes Booth would be remembered as a great actor today.

    CNN went into opinion mode instead of trusting its viewers to make up their own minds. That's not the journalism I demand, and that's why CNN doesn't get much of my attention.
  • stepped_in_it
    !
    HMMM.....trying to figure out if their boo hooing was for their actions OR for getting caught and convicted for those actions? I'd say it was the later. Fools in little boys clothes....and their parents should be so proud (sic).
  • Food4thoughts
    !
    @Libertyiskey
    They're going to the equivalent of an adult state penitentiary...anything over a one year sentence will get you "shipped" out. I worked with many of these troubled youths and alongside those behind the "razor wire"....juvenile prisons are in many cases considered more dangerous than Adult facilities...especially with sexual Assault cases (you got 20 year old men who have been incarcerated for all of puberty alongside 13 year olds)...but all that fails in comparison to the ramifications of being labeled a sexual offender for the rest of their natural lives....no one wins in this situation...the victim lost, the perpetrators have lost and will continue to lose until they die and society more than likely loses when these two are released with their new hardened mold and destroyed hope for life.
  • Knightkore
    !
    They're progressive liberals.....they feel bad for them because they're out doing the same thing partying and stuff.....remember they don't have same moral depth and standards many do.....
  • View all 28 replies >
  • u
    woodway
    !
    They should have been tried as adults and placed in an adult facility then maybe they would have a chance to feel what their victim does.
  • Neo_NtheMatrix
    !
    Amazing, isn't it? And CNN wants you and I to feel sad for these two monsters who took advantaged of an intoxicated female while having all their buddies around watching and filming the incident. So sickening. Can't parents be better than this, raise their children with some respect? Obviously the parents of these two sick men couldn't be.
  • Ryuo
    !
    CNN really said they "literally watched as they believed their lives fell apart?" CNN should be figuratively drawn and quartered, as the rapists should be, literally.
  • u
    KyleMFb
    !
    I'm by no mean defending rape but girls cry rape way to much theses days if I was a teenager going to have sex with a friend or stranger I would record it not for porn but for protection against the stupid B from crying rape after the act. Girls do hold blame for being rapped not all not even some but a tad bit of the woman who get raped wouldn't have if they were not dressed like hookers and not sloppy drunk putting themselves at risk it's sad but but I'm willing to say 50% of the woman who get "rapped" were not just bc you cant remember having sex bc you were wasted doesn't mean your rapped...
  • u
    seedtick
    !
    I did not watch CNN coverage of this incident very often. I heard a couple of statements against the prosecution. And the CNN woman seemed to side with the "juvenile offenders." IMHO, the whole thing was blown out of proportion because of kids on social media. From now on we should ignore social media while a case like this is going on. The prosecutor tried to do just this while the defense tried to use it.
  • o
    Sam_Lowry
    !
    Not only that, but what the heck was a TV network hoping to accomplish showing the movie "Town Without Pity" over and over again? To me, this movie is an apology for rape. I was stationed in Germany. Germans, and a lot of their fellow Europeans, are very free with nudity, i.e., they go to the beach for example, and totally undress and then put on their bathing suits, and before they go home, totally undress again, dry, and put on their clothes. Or in secluded spots, they make love to their boyfriends or husbands. That's NOT an invitation for some randy G.I. or anyone else to come along and rape them. But that's what this movie seems to imply. Showing it, at a time when there are such high-profile rape trials going on does a tremendous disservice to rape victims. And to the guys who think it was all "just fun". What if that were your sister? ; your daughter? Ohio at least convicted these two junior thugs. In New Mexico, at the University of New Mexico the "Lobos" get away with rape, burglary, shooting from a moving vehicle, etc.
  • u
    Chromalord
    !
    Well for starters, I wonder how many of the folks complaining about the sympathy are christian? IMO, its a tragedy for all. These kids made a terrible mistake, one that will haunt them the rest of their lives. Its a loss for all of us when a young person loses their way so early in life and cannot contribute to society. Hopefully with good counseling, and the passing of time, they and the victim can put this event in a place where all can lead productive lives.
    Studies have shown that the information age has delayed our youth's progression into maturity. That it is the constant bombardment of information bestowed upon them which is the key culprit in leading to disenfranchisement, social disorders, stress, anxieties, ADD and depression. Both the entertainment world and the Internet commonly glorify rape without revealing the real consequences to either the victim or the perps. Its a shame they have to learn about this way.....
  • mudpike
    !
    Agree , vote up - yet dis-agree . They did not get enough & many others who witnessed this animalistic behaviour & did nothing should be charged as accomplices to this crime.
  • R Load more comments...