Sammamish Student's Video Response to Steubenville Rape Trial Goes Viral

A film made by a Sammamish college student in response to the high-profile rape trial in Steubenville, Ohio, is garnering national attention and has amassed nearly 1 million views on YouTube.

Samantha Stendal, a sophomore at the University of Oregon studying cinema, art and multimedia, told Northwest Cable News she decided to make the 26-second clip after becoming angry at the public response to the Ohio case.

“I was studying for finals and was procrastinating by reading the news. I was reading about Steubenville and getting more and more angry about the coverage,” she told the TV news station. “I wanted to make something that was more positive than what was being shown. We should be treating each other as human beings not blaming victims.”

Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma'lik Richmond were found guilty earlier this month of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who had become severely intoxicated at a teenage party. CNN, ABC News and other outlets have drawn criticism for their coverage of the case, which some say was overly sympathetic toward the male students.

Stendal's video, titled "A Needed Response," takes the form of a public-service announcement and shows a young male actor helping a young female actor who has passed out on a couch, presumably from drinking too much alcohol.

“Guess what I’m going to do to her?” the male actor asks, before proceeding to bring the young woman a pillow, blanket and glass of water. He closes by saying "Real men treat women with respect."