Prompt's TechBlog
Citizen journalism: breaking the truth
05 January 2007
Posted by Sean McManus
This week we've seen the video footage of Saddam Hussein's hanging reportedly become a popular pick on YouTube (warning: distasteful screengrab). An official has been arrested, and Tony Blair has spoken out.
But what we seem to be missing here, is that the video appears to have captured what really happened in a way that the early official footage did not. Early accounts (including the Guardian) said nothing of the abuse from the crowd, or of Saddam answering them back.
The truth is grisly and we don't approve of the voyeurism surrounding the video (I haven't watched it myself). But without that unofficial video being created and shared online through sites like youtube, history would have been miswritten.
But what we seem to be missing here, is that the video appears to have captured what really happened in a way that the early official footage did not. Early accounts (including the Guardian) said nothing of the abuse from the crowd, or of Saddam answering them back.
The truth is grisly and we don't approve of the voyeurism surrounding the video (I haven't watched it myself). But without that unofficial video being created and shared online through sites like youtube, history would have been miswritten.
# posted by Sean McManus at 5:07 PM 
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