Thousands demand apology from CNN over rape trial coverage

Justifiable outrage continued Monday as thousands of people signed a petition demanding an on-air apology from CNN over its despicable coverage of the Steubenville rape trial verdict.

After the guilty verdicts came in Sunday morning for Trent Mays, 17, and Ma’lik Richmond, 16, CNN’s Candy Crowley, Poppy Harlow and Paul Callan sympathized over the “ruined lives” of the convicted teen rapists, failing to mention for six full minutes the 16-year old female victim of this horrific crime.

As Twitter exploded with outraged criticism of the network, Gabriel Garcia of Knoxville, Tenn. immediately posted an online petition on Change.org calling for an apology from CNN:

That CNN decided to paint the tears of the convicted Steubenville rapists in a sympathetic light and say how their lives were ruined — while completely ignoring the fact that the rape victim’s life is the one whose life was ruined by these rapists’ actions — is disgusting and helps perpetuate a shameful culture in which young people never understand the concept of consent and in which rape victims are blamed and ostracized. Changing that culture must be done brick by brick, and it can start by heaping public shame on this major cable news network and forcing them to admit that they are wrong. Publicly.

Mediaite posted the seven-minute CNN segment that’s sickening to watch, for it seemed the three from CNN forgot the two rapists were not the victims in this heinous case.

Storify collected some tweets Sunday from outraged viewers:

Jill Filipovic@ JillFilipovic Watching @ poppyharlowcnn wring her hands over the poor #Steubenville men is sickening. Verdict is “emotional,” men had bright futures, etc

Lauren Wolfe@ Wolfe321Hi @ PoppyHarlowCNN, I’m sure guilty verdict in #Steubenville case was “difficult to watch,” but did you see the photos? It’s yr JOB to watch

Xeni Jardin@ xeni Perhaps if CNN was a “legitimate” news source, their editors would have a way of “shutting down” that kind of rape coverage. #slutshaming

Anonymous Press@ AnonymousPress @ PoppyHarlowCNN do you have any response regarding your final reporting of the #Steubenville case?

Kate Aurthur@ KateAurthur Hey, @ PoppyHarlowCNN, these young men raped a girl. Why are you so upset on their behalf? Your coverage is bizarre. #Steubenville

Sign the petition here. 

Watch the CNN segment via Mediaite here:

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