By now you know the outcome of the infamous Steubenville rape case in the U.S. But it wasn't enough that the two Ohio high school football players were convicted, CNN had to go and present skewed coverage. Instead of commiserating with the rape victim, the reporters dwelled on the 'devastating' impact the sentence will have on the footballers.
Just when you think the days of victimizing the aggressor are gone, we get this warped commentary. According to an article in the Digital Journal, Trent Mays, 17, and 16-year-old Ma'lik Richmond were found guilty of delinquent rape, ordered to serve a minimum of one year and two years respectively.
We have technology to thank for the conviction, as the guys uploaded photos that proved they 'digitally' raped a drunken 16-year-old girl at a party.
What was possibly more shocking than the crime itself was the reaction of (female) reporters, who seemed to sympathize with the young men who were both football stars at their school.
"I've never experienced anything like it," said reporter Poppy Harlow. "It was incredibly emotional—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 believe their life fell apart."
So a couple burly teenage boys breaking down in a courtroom was obviously too much for some to bear. Justice notwithstanding.
"What's the lasting effect, though, on two young men being found guilty in juvenile court of rape, essentially?" Harlow went on.
No mention of the 'lasting effect' of the rape on the teenage girl... One step ahead for feminism, three steps back.
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