Rape survivors are subjected to numerous injustices through the legal system and from the media. The way our culture and media views them results in them being victimized again through the media and even by their peers and neighbors.

In the case of  14 year old Daisy Coleman, from a small town in Missouri, after being raped by a popular high school football player, who is the grandson of a former Missouri state representative. She was left semi-unconscious in the front yard of her house on a cold winter night in January, and all the charges were dropped against the accused rapist. Even though there was evidence, including a cell phone video of the assault, the local police chose not to pursue the case. Local media referred to the case of the young girls as an "escapade" and portraying the crime as an "encounter".  After the rape, Daisy was bullied at school and called a liar and whore, and was also bullied on social media. Victim blaming culture can be seen in the way this criminal defense attorney discusses the case on Fox News.

“What did she expect to happen at 1am in the morning after sneaking out?” said Criminal Defense Attorney DiBenedetto.

Fox News guests Criminal Defense Attorney Joseph DiBenedetto attempted to make a case as to why a 14-year old alleged rape victim was asking to be attacked, The Raw Story reported. “I’m not saying she deserved to be raped, but ..." DiBenedetto began.The Fox News host had asked DiBenedetto for his comments regarding the news that a judge has been asked to appoint a special prosecutor to intervene and re-investigate the charges pertaining to a 2012 rape case. In the case, teenager Daisy Coleman was allegedly assaulted and videotaped by a 17-year-old football player.  DiBenedetto responded in full:

“I’m not saying she deserved to be raped, but knowing the facts as we do here … this case is going nowhere … When you look at the finer details, there are telltale signs of this girl actually lying. She is leaving her home at 1 a.m. in the morning and nobody forced her to drink. And what happens? She gets caught by her mom, she’s embarrassed and the easy way out here is, ‘Mom, someone took advantage of me,” he retorted.

Even Fox Host Shepard Smith recognized the irony of calling a girl a liar when the conclusion itself was so far fetched:

“What you’ve done, Joseph, is taken an alleged victim of rape and turned her into a liar and a crime committer,” the Fox News host pointed out. “That’s a far jump from a 1,000 miles away.”The case has recently been cast back into the media spotlight, after the girl, Daisy Coleman, publicly identified herself and appeared on CNN claiming she would re-testify, Opposing View News reported. Moreover, in a recent article by the Kansas City Star, Coleman and her mother spoke out against the town of Maryville, who they say tried to cover up the assault because the boy was from a well-connected family .

The Steubenville High School rape case drew national attention when two of the school's football players raped a 16 yr old girl who was incapacitated by alcohol. They took photos and videos of the assault and shared them with friends on social media. A cover up took place by coaches and school officials. The community rallied around the rapists, and were more worried about their star players and the fate of the football team. The media showed bias in the case, especially CNN reporters Poppy Harlow and Candy Crowley. They focused their sympathy on the rapists when the guilty sentence was delivered, with little compassion for the victim. Most recently, indictments have been brought against four more school officials for their role in the cover up. The Steubenville City Schools Superintendent faces felony charges of tampering with evidence, obstructing justice and also charged with making a false statement and obstructing justice.




         CNN JOINS VICTIM BLAMING ON STEUBENVILLE                                RAPE TRIAL VERDICT

CNN broke the news on Sunday of a guilty verdict in a rape case in Steubenville, Ohio by lamenting that the "promising" lives of the rapists had been ruined, but spent very little time focusing on how the 16-year-old victim would have to live with what was done to her.

Judge Thomas Lipps  announced  that Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'lik Richmond, 16, would be given a maximum sentence after being found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl while she was unconscious. Richmond could be released from a juvenile rehabilitation facility by the age of 21 and Mays could be incarcerated unitl the age of 24.

CNN's Candy Crowley began her breaking news report by showing Lipps handing down the sentence and telling CNN reporter Poppy Harlow that she "cannot imagine" how emotional the sentencing must have been.

Harlow explained that it had been "incredibly difficult" to watch "as these two young men - who had such promising futures, star football players, very good students - literally watched as they believed their life fell apart."


Even Serena Williams, the famous tennis player, when asked about the Steubenville rape case verdict had this blaming the victim comment. She later apologized. 

Serena just shakes her head. "Do you think it was fair, what they got? They did something stupid, but I don't know. I'm not blaming the girl, but if you're a 16-year-old and you're drunk like that, your parents should teach you: Don't take drinks from other people. She's 16, why was she that drunk where she doesn't remember? It could have been much worse. She's lucky. Obviously, I don't know, maybe she wasn't a virgin, but she shouldn't have put herself in that position, unless they slipped her something, then that's different."

Works Cited
Gummow, Jodie. "Fox News Under Fire For Guests' Victim Blaming." AlterNet. Alternet, 18 Oct 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Media Joins Victim-Blaming Culture After Steubenville Verdict." The Bilerico Project. The Bilerico Project, 20 March 2013. Web. 13 Nov 2013.
Rodrick, Stephen. "Serena Williams: The Great One." Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone, 18 June 2013. Web. 21 Nov 2013.