UPDATE: When reached via email on Monday, CNN declined to comment on the matter.
A CNN segment on the Steubenville rape trial verdict sparked online backlash Sunday, including accusations that one of its reporters is a "rape apologist."
The outrage centered on an exchange between anchor Candy Crowley and reporter Poppy Harlow on CNN's State of the Union. After a judge found Trent Mays and Ma'Lik Richmond, two members of Steubenville High School's football team, guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl, Crowley told Harlow, "I cannot imagine having just watched this on the feed coming in. How emotional that must have been sitting in the courtroom."
Harlow, who was reporting from Steubenville, OH, responded as follows (click here for the entire transcript):
"I've never experienced anything like it, Candy. 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."
Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, were sentenced to a minimum of one year in juvenile prison, according to the AP. Mays must serve an additional year for photographing the victim naked.
Crowley later asked CNN legal contributor Paul Callan how the verdict would affect the two boys. Her question and Callan's response that "it will have a lasting impact" led some online commenters to accuse CNN of "sympathizing with rapists."
The public expressed their outrage on Twitter, condemning CNN, Crowley and particularly Harlow. Women's groups and other journalists were among those who spoke out.
@poppyharlowcnn especially as a woman, you should be ashamed of how far you're setting feminism back #RapeApologist— Kathryn Moncada (@kathrynmoncada) March 18, 2013
@poppyharlowcnn You should be ASHAMED for siding with CONVICTED rapists instead of the REAL victim. The only alleged thing is your humanity.— Wish in One Hand (@wishinonehand) March 18, 2013
@cnn How about apologizing for sympathizing with RAPISTS? How deluded do you have to be? @poppyharlowcnn— Gabby (@castiels_vein) March 18, 2013
Hey, @poppyharlowcnn, these young men raped a girl. Why are you so upset on their behalf? Your coverage is bizarre. #Steubenville— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) March 17, 2013
Not one word about the victim .@cnn @poppyharlowcnn @crowleycnn #Steubenville #RapeIsRape twitter.com/Tornemand/stat…— UniteWomen.org (@UniteWomenOrg) March 18, 2013
Poppy Harlow is a hack.— Lizz Winstead (@lizzwinstead) March 18, 2013
Dear @poppyharlowcnn, those boys destroyed their own lives when they COMMITTED A VIOLENT CRIME CALLED RAPE. #EndOfDiscussion— Tara Dublin(@taradublinrocks) March 18, 2013
Shameful statements by @poppyharlowcnn on @cnn today, absolutely shameful. Perpetrators crying was "really difficult to watch". Poor rapists— Hugo Leenhardt (@hugoleenhardt) March 17, 2013
A Change.org petition demanding CNN to "apologize on air for sympathizing with the Steubenville rapists" began circulating online shortly after a YouTube video of the segment, above, went viral.
Poppy Harlow and CNN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.