Sympathy for the Devil

We often discuss in class how Americans like to construct a narrative for our country and people. When this ideal image is shattered, it can be difficult to pick up the pieces. About a week ago, two Ohio high school boys were found guilty for repeatedly raping a girl from their school. Clearly, this crime is completely unjustified, and the two boys deserve the punishment they got. However, these weren't just any high school boys... they were on the Football Team!

While less important to students at New Trier, being a star player at a rural school in Ohio means a lot to your family and the community. So much, in fact, that people can look over your horrible crimes against others and focus more on mourning the loss of two promising futures of the boys.


CNN made a report on the story, and outraged hundreds of thousands with its coverage. A TV report focused much less on the act the boys commited and instead sympathized with the boys. Here's one quote from the reporter.


“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 — we literally watched as, they believe, their life fell apart,


While the courtroom certainly could have been "emotional", I believe shedding it in this light makes the case look less like a rape and more like a case from a dramatic TV show. 
Telling us that their "life fell apart" seems to connote some sort of tragic situation. Shouldn't CNN be rejoicing that the justice system nabbed these criminals and made their secret crimes available to the public eye? Over 200,000 people have signed a petition demanding CNN to apologize for their cover. Do you believe the story was inappropriately conveyed?