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As the public got news of the guilty verdict in the high-profile Steubenville, Ohio, rape case, CNN reporter Poppy Harlow commented how it was hard for her to watch.

“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 believed their lives fell apart,” Harlow reported.

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It was the start of an online firestorm.

“Maybe if you’re so concerned about protecting your bright future, you shouldn’t rape people,” viewer Emily Dawn wrote on Twitter.

Furious viewers flooded the news network’s Facebook page with their responses.

“I find it appalling that on all your stories regarding the conviction of the two boys who raped that girl are focused solely on the tragedy of their fate,” said Kate McKowen-taves.

“You sympathized with the criminals and their loss. Never mind that there is a young girl who has been victimized not just by her rapists, but also by her peers, and again by the news media…Shame on you CNN.”