Care to share your thoughts on CNN's coverage of the Steubenville, Ohio rape case?

I thought it was shameful that they did not mention the victim. A person drunk is not an excuse for anything goes behavior.

My thoughts would frankly get me banned.

Though this is really the first time that the term “rape culture” has actually clicked in my head on a really sickening level. Maybe if I do a drive by swinging of their skulls with a baseball bat CNN will do a sob piece for my lost potential of playing for the Dodgers!

I think it is absolutely ridiculous and disgusting that they are actually portraying the rapists as the victims in this case. There is never an excuse to rape someone, and the fact that they are actually trying to garner sympathy for the rapists is just appalling to me. Yes, let’s continue to talk about how hard the rapists’ lives will be from now on because of their crime instead of focusing on the impact to the actual victim here. Not to mention that they got off extremely easy, in my opinion.

I don’t have cable right now and my Internet is to weak for the video (I’m off grid) but I read the transcripts and it makes me sick. Wondering, has CNN responded to the outcry yet?

I heard a rumor about this and I was just like “bullshit; just people trying to demonize CNN”. But looking at that, it’s clear that they were right. I’m pretty disappointed in CNN, since I usually consider them a decent news source. But yeah, it doesn’t really surprise me. They were football stars and “boys will be boys” and all that crap…

It makes me sick. As if the boys lives are over but the girl was just drunk so no biggie.
And now they have arrested two 16 year old girls for threatening the victim.
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Good! F’ing bitches. What is wrong with this world?

God I hate being a guy at times. What the hell where they thinking. Either CNN or the idiots.

I’m not exactly sure how to express what I’m feeling. I think it would be shameful for anyone to turn this around and become focused on CNN. That isn’t what this is about. I’m not saying you are doing that, @Mama_Cakes. I think it is important for people to see CNN and their editorial decisions for what they are, but that isn’t the most important part of this. It is about so very many serious issues, the very least of which are CNN, Candy Crowley and an editorial decision to focus on the rapists.

I’m trying to somehow say let’s not misplace our anger.

The whole thing just fucking disgusts me.

@bkcunningham My anger is at the whole situation, including CNN’s reporting. Sorry.

I realize that, @Mama_Cakes. I am sorry if it felt like any of that was directed at you specifically. It wasn’t. I appreciate your question. I mean we, collectively, as living breathing people, should focus our energy on the bigger issues in this.

I couldn’t listen to all of this crappy sympathy for the football payers. Nobody seems to care about the life of the girl that was raped. I have two daughters, if those bastards hurt her like they did to the 16 year old girl, they would never have made it to trial.

I hope they enjoy getting raped in prison!

@Ron_C We just had a cocksucker that abducted a mother and her 10 year old daughter. He killed the mother and raped the ten year old. They put him in the general population at the jail. They beat the fuck out of him. I hope they do it again and again

They aren’t going to prison, @Ron_C. They are going to the Ohio Department of Youth Services.

Why are people demonizing Fox for this? This is the first I’ve seen demonizing CNN for this, but it has the same problem as the Fox-bashing over this;

They were not the only network to do this!

Check again and you will see that other networks also leaked the victim’s name and had more pity for the rapists than for the victim. If you are concerned about fairness, then cast blame on Fox and MSNBC as well; don’t just single out CNN.

Those poor boys.

If only they could’ve just chosen not to rape someone.

What a shame.

And if the coach and several other people hadn’t chosen to keep it quiet, they wouldn’t be worried that they will be indicted next.

@livelaughlove21 That is cold, but it made me smile.

Nevermind.

@chyna The coach kept it quiet too?

@Adirondackwannabe That’s what I read. He may get indicted.

@chyna He should. God.

@Adirondackwannabe I completely agree.

@bkcunningham I heard that some of those places are as bad as adult prisons, we can only hope. One and two year sentences seem mighty lenient for rape.

@chyna this is the first I’ve heard about the coach trying to cover this up. If that is true, he need a longer sentence than the junior rapists.

Read here
@Ron_C
The girl is from my state, so I’m getting quite a bit of information from news sources here.

@chyna, you’ll be interested in this.

There’s a new grand jury being convened. Not only the coach, but who bought their alcohol or made it available? They went to what, three different houses that night before crashing at one? Where were adults at these three houses?

Okay, taking a deep breath here. I do agree that we shouldn’t be elevating the rapists above the victim. It’s despicable that they didn’t talk about what her life is going to be like now.

That said, I don’t think we should be dancing on the boys’ graves, so to speak, either. Their punishment is well-deserved, but I don’t think we need to be savage about it. I do not hope they are beaten or raped in detention. Their actions have, in fact, ruined their own lives as well as the victim’s life. Isn’t that enough? It is a tragedy, all the way around.

Wait, @augustlan. Her life isn’t ruined. Let’s not elevate rape to that level either. That is one of the lessons here. Jane Doe’s mother’s statement.

This kid should be charged, as well. He obviously knew what went on and didn’t come forward.

Warning: the video will be hard to stomach for many.

@bkcunningham You have a point. As a child sexual abuse survivor, I should know better. My life wasn’t ruined, just really, really fucked up for a really, really long time.

@augustlan Thank-you for that. I’m a survivor, as well.

I hope you get what I meant though, @augustlan. You aren’t ruined. Your life isn’t ruined because of the horrible things that happened to you. Despite all the abuse that you went through, you are a survivor. Yes. You have beautiful children. You have lots of friends and a loving husband. Hopefully this young woman will have support and get assistance in recovering from this.

It breaks my heart to know that some people do and did suffer in silence before getting any kind of support for their injuries. Those scars are certainly deep. There is no disputing that. But they don’t ruin. Nope. Not ruined.

I think that I’ll stay in Canada. Maybe, my partner could move here?

Why, @Mama_Cakes? Did I offend you by saying rape doesn’t ruin a person? I meant no harm to you or anyone else.

I’m actually going to stop following my own question.

@bkcunningham I think it’s probably up to each person to decide whether or not they feel ruined by such a traumatic event. At the very least, this part of the girl’s life probably does feel that way to her.

You are right. It is not for any of us to decide. I am very confused by your reaction @Mamacakes. Stay with your discussion. I won’t comment further.

You never know what things others may have experienced in life. That goes for all of us. Have fun guys.

I stopped expecting anything decent from CNN when they put that asshole Piers Morgan in his own time slot.

I’m probably going to be eviscerated here for saying this but…

Did they actually rape her or sexually assault her? In Ohio penetrating with the fingers without consent of the victim is considered rape by law, but is that really the same as rape? You can’t get HIV, you can’t get pregnant, there are no fluids exchanged, it seems like it should be treated differently (although still very harshly). I think the amount of jail time they got seems appropriate for sexual assault, maybe even a little too lenient. But it’s categorically different from rape in my opinion (unless I’ve got my facts mixed up was there penile penetration?).

I had a girlfriend many years ago who was forced down in a back alleyway in Florence Italy and violently raped by a stranger, she wasn’t sure if she was going to be killed, and had to wait a full year for the final HIV test to come back negative before she knew she was safe. That’s a pretty terrifying year of your life. I have no sympathy for rapists whatsoever, but I think “watering down the term” is unhealthy. If the punishment for sexual assault was too weak in Ohio, they should have beefed it up, not lumped it together with rape.

I think the conflation of these terms is actually leading to undeserved sympathy for these scumbags. I don’t think anyone would feel bad for them if they were convicted with sexual assault and sentenced to the same punishment.

@gorillapaws It’s true. I understand they penetrated her with fingers and other objects..

It reminds me of the childish stuff you do to the first person who passes out at a party (when you’re young and dumb), which was probably their intention, but they got drunk and took it way too far.

One would think with the recent coverage from India they would have taken it more seriously. I don’t watch network news, but I saw the quotes and couldn’t believe it.

In the video where the guys involved were talking about it and laughing, there was mention of “a wang in a butthole”. Do we know for sure that she wasn’t penetrated by a penis? Perhaps they just couldn’t prove that? I haven’t followed along closely enough to know.

@augustlan That’s what I was told by a news guy, but I haven’t followed it that closely either.